Tag Archives: A Pictorial History of Palm City

A Pictorial History of Palm City Awarded “Best Hard Cover Bound Book”

Darcy McNiff Thompson of Southeastern Printing presents Sandra Thurlow with “Best Hard Cover Bound Book” award/certificate – Florida Graphic Alliance 2025..

Recently, my mother and I got unexpected good news. The team from Southeasten Printing, printers of our  A Pictorial History of Palm City, attended the Florida Graphic Alliance awards ceremony in Orlando, and mom and my book won Best Hard Cover Book for all entries in the state of Florida!

Cover features a beautiful painting by renowned Jerry Rose. A Pictorial History of Palm City Florida, by Sandra Henderson Thurlow and Jacqui Thurlow-Lippishch.

Southeastern Printing has a long history in Martin County- over 100 years. Don Mader is the present owner of this excellent company now based in Miami. Long time employee, Darcey McNiff Thompson, informed my mother and I  of the win and kindly stopped by mom’s house to share the certificate. Heidi Rich of richworks graphics was the designer of the book, and my brother Todd worked the historic maps on the inside covers. Sandra Henderson Thurlow and I wrote the book, and to this day, this experience has been one of the most rewarding of my life. The book was published in 2024.

Southeastern Printing had its 100th birthday in 2004 and is a product of Martin County. Today it is owned by Don Mader and is located in Maimi, Florida.

Thank you to Southeastern Printing and everyone who loves history! To purchase a book, see my mother’s website here. Photographs below shared by Darcey McGriff Thompson.

 

Jacqui & Sandra

Behind the Palm City Scene, Jenny

Jenny and Mom, Sewall’s Point Park, 2024.

Prior to Thursday’s Palm City book launch, I wanted to feature my younger sister Jenny. For my mother she is like that secretary that skillfully, behind the scenes, runs the school (not really the principal.) 🙂 Jenny holds it all together. Jenny helps not only her family but the community as Director, Physician and APP Recruitment, Cleveland Clinic Florida at Cleveland Clinic.

Jenny and her husband Mike Flaugh live next door to Mom and help everyday with organizing, logistics, and most of all bringing high spirts to the book campaign. We could not have written or planned a successful-launch  of “A Pictorial History of Palm City, Florida,” without Jenny’s constant support and direction.

My mother published her first local history book in 1992. Others followed. At the time of “Sewall’s Point, The History of a Community on Florida’s Treasure Coast.”  I was 28 years old, Jenny was 24, and Todd was 22.

I am now 60.

It has been a life time of books. And though the good times and the hard times Jenny has really been the glue, the spine of the book, holding the pages together.

Jenny, Todd, and all my family  look forward to seeing everyone and to supporting my mother and now book partner, Sandra Henderson Thurlow, Martin County’s premier local historian.

A Pictorial History of Palm City, Florida 

Thursday, November 21, 4-7pm “Book Launch/Celebration Party” at Palm City Social, 3168 SW Martin Downs Blvd., Palm City, FL 34990. Pre-signed books and unopened wrapped books will be available for purchase.

Saturday, December 7, 10am-3pm “Book Signing” at Stuart Heritage Museum, 161 SW Flagler Avenue, Stuart, FL 34994. Sandra and Jacqui will be available to inscribe a book or books as gifts or other.

Saturday, December 14, 1-4pm, “Book Signing” at Peter and Julie Cummings Library, 2551 SW Matheson, Ave. Palm City, FL 34990. Sandra and Jacqui will be available to inscribe a book or books as gifts or other.

Books run $39.95 for a single book and $399.50 for a box of ten book. Plus tax. 🙂

 

A Pictorial History of Palm City, Sandra Thurlow’s insights

 

Today, I’m sharing a link to my mother‘s recent presentation given at the Blake Library in Stuart. Sandra Thurlow is not only my mother, but also a local celebrity. Her years of research have produced multiple local history books and now she’s working on another of which I am part. 

Through stories and photographs, this video gives many insights into the upcoming book,  A Pictorial History of Palm City, Florida that will be published by the end of 2024.

Thank you to Barbara Osbourn for her gracious introduction, the Martin County Genealogical Society, and Friends of the Martin County Library System for making this talk possible. Please see link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2XXH9BxHI

Palm City’s First Homesteader, Alligator Smith

Palm City’s First Homesteader,  Alligator Smith

“And the Palm Tree Nodded to the Mirror in the Jungle.” Ormond, Florida. Stereoscope c. late 1800s, Thurlow collection.

Over the past year, I have been doing something wonderful. I have been working on a book about Palm City, Florida, with my mother, Sandra Henderson Thurlow to be entitled A Pictorial History of Palm City. We are having it proofed and edited now; it will be published sometime in late 2024. In the meanwhile, I am going to share some tidbits.

Have you ever wondered who was the first modern character of Palm City? He was a trapper. An alligator hunter who more than likely, over time, killed thousands of alligators selling their teeth of fine ivory to make jewelry. The trapper’s name? Of course, Alligator Smith!

Apparently, Alligator Smith was very well liked and fraternized with the likes of now famous names of our area such as Bessey, Stypmann and Krueger. However, my mother and I had different feelings towards Alligator Smith. I was really not fond of him and felt like “he got what he had coming to him,” when he died on July 4th, 1891 in a state of intoxication, falling off his boat, Magic, and drowning in the St. Luice River off of Sewall’s Point.

Mom saw him as a suvivalist. My thoughts? Perhaps after killing so many alligators on a river once named “Halpatiokee” which means “alligator waters” in a native tongue,“ the spirit of the river may have decided to take Alligator Smith home.

His real name was “William Smith” and he was working to obtain his homestead from the federal government at today’s Pendarvis Cove. As you’ll learn in the next post, “his lands” inadvertently seeded the creation of “Palm City.”

Stereoscopes became popular around 1850; today, they are considered the first step towards “virtual reality.”

“And the Palm Tree Nodded to the Mirror in the Jungle.” Ormond, Florida. Stereoscope c. late 1800s, Thurlow collection.

-writing on back