Stuart in Martin County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Passengers, Pay Phones and a Post Office

Historic Sailfish Trail

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 12, 2022

1. Passengers, Pay Phones and a Post Office Marker

Inscription.

Passengers, Pay Phones and a Post Office. Historic Sailfish Trail. Look behind you. The two-story building with the elaborate faux stone exterior is the Feroe Building. Built in 1913, this was the home of the Stuart Drug Company – and Stuart's first pay phone!, Installed on April 9, 1915, calls from the phone cost 10 cents – almost $2.00 in today's money. The average income in Stuart in those days was $687 a year, so making a phone call was quite a luxury. Still, within the first hour, three calls were placed to West Palm Beach (which was the location of the county seat)., By 1917, use of the pay phone jumped in price: Three minutes cost 41 cents – the extra penny a war tax. By then the Stuart Post Office had joined Stuart Drug in the Feroe Building, occupying the corner across from the new train station built in 1913., It was September 1912 when Stanley Kitching, Charles C. Chillingworth and Harry Feroe each contributed the exorbitant sum of $350 (over $8,500 today) to guarantee construction of a new rail station. Just a week later (talk about fast track), Florida East Coast Railroad officials announced the new, larger station would be built exactly where you stand now., Completed in early 1913, the station hosted morning and evening trains until passenger service was discontinued in the mid-1960s. In December 1967, despite attempts to move and save the building, the old station was demolished., Captions: , (Top) In 1925 the Post Office relocated, allowing the Stuart Drug Company to expand into the entire first floor of the Feroe Building, where it operated for decades. , (Middle) Between the Stuart Drug Company in the Feroe Building and the train depot, the intersection of Flagler and St. Lucie Avenues was a hub of community activity in Stuart. , (Bottom) Completed in 1913, the Stuart Train Depot was active until Florida East Coast Railway stopped passenger service in the 1960s., For more local history, visit the Stuart Heritage Museum in the Stuart Feed Store building (www.stuartheritagemuseum.com) or the Elliott Museum (www.elliottmuseum.org)..

Look behind you. The two-story building with the elaborate faux stone exterior is the Feroe Building. Built in 1913, this was the home of the Stuart Drug Company – and Stuart's first pay phone!

Installed on April 9, 1915, calls from the phone cost 10 cents – almost $2.00 in today's money. The average income in Stuart in those days was $687 a year, so making a phone call was quite a luxury. Still, within the first hour, three calls were placed to West Palm Beach (which was the location of the county seat).

By 1917, use of the pay phone jumped in price: Three minutes cost 41 cents – the extra penny a war tax. By then the Stuart Post Office had joined Stuart Drug in the Feroe Building, occupying the corner across from the new train station built in 1913.

It was September 1912 when Stanley Kitching, Charles C. Chillingworth and Harry Feroe each contributed the exorbitant sum of $350 (over $8,500 today) to guarantee construction of a new rail station. Just a week later (talk about fast track), Florida East Coast Railroad officials announced the new, larger station would be built exactly where you stand now.

Completed in

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early 1913, the station hosted morning and evening trains until passenger service was discontinued in the mid-1960s. In December 1967, despite attempts to move and save the building, the old station was demolished.

Captions:
(Top) In 1925 the Post Office relocated, allowing the Stuart Drug Company to expand into the entire first floor of the Feroe Building, where it operated for decades.
(Middle) Between the Stuart Drug Company in the Feroe Building and the train depot, the intersection of Flagler and St. Lucie Avenues was a hub of community activity in Stuart.
(Bottom) Completed in 1913, the Stuart Train Depot was active until Florida East Coast Railway stopped passenger service in the 1960s.

For more local history, visit the Stuart Heritage Museum in the Stuart Feed Store building (www.stuartheritagemuseum.com) or the Elliott Museum (www.elliottmuseum.org).

Erected 2014 by Stuart Main Street. (Marker Number 2.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is April 9, 1915.

Location. 27° 11.97′ N,

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 12, 2022

2. Passengers, Pay Phones and a Post Office Marker

80° 15.291′ W. Marker is in Stuart, Florida, in Martin County. It is at the intersection of SW Flagler Avenue and SW St. Lucie Avenue, on the right when traveling east on SW Flagler Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stuart FL 34994, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Treasure Coast.

It is also in the American South.

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 of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lyric Theatre (within shouting distance of this marker); City of Stuart Water Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); A Great Place for a Vacation (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); "Stuart is burning down!" (about 300 feet away); Hello Girls! (about 500 feet away); Parks/Atwood House

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(about 500 feet away); Geo. W. Parks General Merchandise (about 500 feet away); George W. Parks (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stuart.

More about this marker. It is part of the Historic Sailfish Trail, a series of sailfish sculptures – in homage to Stuart's title as "Sailfish Capital of the World" – with attached historical markers. They were erected in celebration of the centennial of the city's 1914 incorporation.

Also see . . . Sailfish Historical Art Markers - Downtown Stuart Florida. Local historian Alice Luckhardt hosts a 360-degree video tour of Stuart's five sailfish sculptures/historical markers. Viewers can manipulate the screen (using the cursor on a computer, a finger on a phone or tablet, or a VR headset) to view additional content. (Submitted on March 16, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 16, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 418 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 15, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.