Morningside in Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Historic Lemon Avenue

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 24, 2018

1. Historic Lemon Avenue Marker Side 1

Inscription. (Side 1)
Lemon City began as an agricultural community of homesteaders in the 1870s. Entrepreneur Eugene C. Harrrington, credited as the father of Lemon City, bought an 11-acre strip of land from homesteader John Saunders in 1889. Harrington sold an acre of bay-front land to Charles S.B. Moffat, and subdivided the remaining acreage. The origin of the name of Harrington's subdivision, Lemon City, was reportedly due to the abundance of lemon trees growing in the area. The first official mention of the name was in the 1889 Harrington/Moffat land sale. Eighty-one small lots were platted with a street running down the middle. In 1890, the lots were sold for between $35 and $65. The street was named Lemon Avenue, and served as the community's main street. It originally ran from the bay to Rock Road (NE 2nd Ave.), was forty feet wide, and consisted of sand and exposed rock. Much of Lemon City's development took place along Lemon Avenue, including the construction in 1892 of the first hotel, run by Harrington's mother, Cornelia Keys. In 1895, Harrington deeded the street to Dade County. (Continued on other side) (Side 2) (Continued

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from other side) With no municipal government, the residents of Lemon City had to finance their own community improvements. The all-woman Village Improvement Association (VIA) was organized in 1896 in the home of Cornelia Keys. The VIA's first goal was to "rock" Lemon Avenue from the bay to the railroad crossing. Rocking began in 1897, and was completed in 1902. Dade County purchased a new 20,000-pound steamroller to help finish the road. In conjunction with the paving of Lemon Avenue, a plan was laid out to surface another road, which ran south to Miami. The second road, named Rock Road (now NE 2nd Ave.), was completed in 1902 and provided easier ground transportation between Lemon City and Miami without having to take the train. The rocking of Lemon Avenue significantly impacted the community. It allowed Lemon City to expand westward as renewed construction sprang up. On this street, the Lemon City Library opened in 1904, followed by the first independent post office in 1905. When Miami expanded and annexed Lemon City in 1925, a new system of numbered streets was introduced, beginning in downtown Miami. Lemon Avenue was renamed NE

Historic Lemon Avenue Marker Side 2 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 24, 2018

2. Historic Lemon Avenue Marker Side 2

61st Street.

Erected 2017 by Mayor Tomas Regalado, The City of Miami in Coordination with Alexander Adams and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-949.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.

Location. 25° 50′ N, 80° 10.85′ W. Marker is in Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It is in Morningside. It is on Northeast 62nd Street 0.2 miles east of Biscayne Boulevard (U.S. 1), in the median. Marker is located at end of NE 62nd Street at Biscayne Bay. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 720 NE 62nd St, Miami FL 33138, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida

and on the Gold Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States

Historic Lemon Avenue Marker on right image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, March 11, 2014

3. Historic Lemon Avenue Marker on right

of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lemon City Port (here, next to this marker); The Cushman School (approx. ¼ mile away); Lemon City Library (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lemon City Post Office (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lemon City Train Station (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bay Shore Water Pump House (approx. half a mile away); Lemon City Pharmacy-Dr. Dupuis Office (approx. 0.7 miles away); Vagabond Motel (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Miami.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Lemon City Branch Library (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 30, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,104 times since then and 110 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 30, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.