Ginger L Pedersen - Pioneering Palm Beach: the Deweys and the South Florida frontier

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2012 by Ginger L. Pedersen and Janet M. DeVries

All rights reserved

Cover image: Laura Woodward (18341926), Workmens Camp, Palm Beach, Florida, circa 1893, collection of Edward and Deborah Pollack.

First published 2012

e-book edition 2012

Manufactured in the United States

ISBN 978.1.61423.668.9

Library of Congress CIP data applied for.

print ISBN 978.1.60949.657.9

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is dedicated to my mother, Christa E. Pedersen, whose spirit left this earth during the writing of this book. May she enjoy many lovely afternoons with the Deweys and their cats and dogs in the eternal paradise of the Blessed Isle.

Ginger L. Pedersen

Contents

Foreword

In 1895, my recently married great-grandparents, Captain Frederick and Lillie Pierce Voss, were hired by two men from Michigan, William S. Linton and Major Nathan S. Boynton, to ferry them in our family boat to the south end of Lake Worth, where the two visitors looked over some land. These men would later purchase this land, and Major Boynton would build a hotel along the beach ridge and plat a small town to the west named after himself.

So went the story that I grew up hearing and, like others, have passed along ever since. However, there was a problem with this story. It was not entirely correct. As the fine research of Ginger Pedersen and Janet DeVries uncovered, Major Boynton was not the person who platted the little town that today bears his name. In fact, it was a husband and wife named Dewey who platted the town of Boyntontoday the city of Boynton Beach.

Pioneering Palm Beach illuminates two of the most remarkable, yet least known, personalities in Palm Beach Countys pioneer history: Frederick Sidney Dewey and his wife Byrd Birdie Spilman Dewey. Posterity knows so little of their accomplishments and contributions because they left no children and, therefore, no one to carry on their name and story. Pedersen and DeVries, however, have uncovered their story, one that is told in rich detail in the contexts of both American history and local pioneer history.

Birdies family history in America dates to the very origins of English colonization. Her ancestor arrived in Jamestown in 1609, was traded to Powhatan Indians for a piece of land, lived among the Powhatan, learned their language and befriended the legendary Pocahontas. Birdie was also the grandniece of President Zachary Taylor.

Fred, a Civil War veteran from Indiana, was a cousin of Admiral George Dewey. He met and married Birdie in Illinois. Soon they moved to Florida, trying their hand at various occupations and attempting to find their Eden in different Central Florida locations before venturing deep into the vast wilderness that would later become Palm Beach County. They were true pioneers, arriving in the years before Flaglers Florida East Coast Railway would open this vast jungle wilderness to the rest of the world.

Together, Fred and Birdie would carve out a homestead in the wilds of what would later become West Palm Beach, living in isolation deep in the pine woods with their beloved pets. They would soon acquire a beautiful waterfront parcel just south of what is today downtown and build their home, Ben Trovato, which would become an important scene of pioneer social life as Birdie ascended the ranks of the nascent Palm Beach social scene.

Along the way, Birdie wrote autobiographical accounts of their life adventures. However, she often disguised them as fictional stories, sometimes about their dog Bruno. She was an exceptional writer of national stature, with a witty and engaging style. Her articles appeared in the leading publications of her day, including Ladies Home Journal, Vogue and Good Housekeeping. Her first book, Bruno, was a bestseller. It was published by one of Americas preeminent publishersLittle, Brown and Companyalongside the works of such noted American writers as Louisa May Alcott and Emily Dickinson. Bruno was one of the first novels to be written in our area and marked a milestone in South Floridas important literary history. Pedersen and DeVries expert detective work definitively ties Fred and Birdies real-life story to the many adventures chronicled by Birdie in her popular articles and books.

Fred served as a county commissioner, county tax assessor and county tax collector at the time when this region was still part of Dade County. His responsibilities took him from the Florida Keys to the St. Lucie River. He later worked as a land agent for Henry Flagler, the father of modern South Florida, and even befriended the oil and railroad tycoon. After Freds death, Birdie became the field secretary of the Florida Audubon Society and traveled the state lecturing on conservation. She had an uncanny ability to tame wild birds and mimic their calls.

Along the way, Fred and Birdie bought and sold landholdings from modern-day Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale to modern-day Boynton Beach, Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. They planted citrus and engaged in all forms of agriculture. Their skills and intellectual interests were many. Their humility is evident in the fact that they owned the land and filed the plat for the town of Boynton, choosing to name the town after Major Boynton rather than themselves.

I am most grateful for the research in this book, as it has brought to light two largely unknown but certainly remarkable people in South Floridas history. Pedersen and DeVries have made an outstanding contribution to the scholarship of Palm Beach Countys pioneer era.

Harvey E. Oyer III

President, Lake Worth Pioneers Association

Former Chairman, Historical Society of Palm Beach County

Acknowledgements

The authors encountered so many helpful, inspiring people along the journey of researching and writing this book. Debi Murray, director of research and archives at the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, enriched the quality of the text with her limitless knowledge of resources and provided expert editing of the manuscript. Harvey Oyer III wrote the inspiring foreword from the voice and vision of his pioneer family. Professor Rodney Dillon also lent his expertise on Florida history in reviewing the manuscript.

It took many months, but locating and connecting with Byrd Spilman Deweys great-great-grandnieces brought her present-day family into the project: Lila Peaches Rankin, Loretta Lydic Amerman and Janis Lydic Hebert. They shared priceless photographs and family letters.

Our editors at The History PressJessica Berzon, Hannah Cassilly and Ryan Finnmentored and guided us seamlessly through the publishing process.

The following persons provided valuable resources and information:

Professor Patricia Alvarez, Palm Beach State College

Dr. Evan Bennett, Florida Atlantic University

Marlene Blye, Eustis Memorial Library

Louise Carter, Eustis Historical Society