The old Fort Pierce Post Office has always been a building with stories to tell. What has changed is its future. After sitting vacant and decaying for nearly two decades, the historical landmark has been painstakingly transformed into 500 Orange, a stunning event venue that honors its past while giving it new life.
A green jewel in the crown of the Treasure Coast, Heathcote Botanical Gardens is currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of connecting visitors with some of Mother Nature’s most delightful creations.
Development, major improvements and great optimism still characterize what Historic Downtown Fort Pierce experienced during the past year. The long-awaited construction of King’s Landing has finally taken its first steps.
Fort Pierce is defined by its waterways, location, favorable subtropical climate and its people. The city marks its 125th anniversary in 2026. Fifty-three of 66 registered voters voted to incorporate on Feb. 2, 1901, naming the new town Fort Pierce after the Second Seminole War military fort located about a mile south of the present-day courthouse on Indian River Drive.
It all began with a simple notice posted on Dec. 29, 1901, at Davis Hall, the community’s main gathering place. The message was clear: all registered voters were asked to return to that same spot on Feb. 2, 1901.
The European invasion of mainland North America, by the 19th century, had forced the decimated Native American population into scattered defensive outposts. It was the prevailing opinion that the European newcomers and the indigenous residents could not coexist.
Discover a timeline that stretches back thousands of years, tracing Fort Pierce’s story from its earliest inhabitants to the milestones that defined the community.
Few announcements in 2025 generated as much buzz along the Treasure Coast as the news that Buc-ee’s, the Texas-based chain famous for its spotless restrooms and cult-favorite snacks, will locate the world’s largest convenience store north of Fort Pierce.
For a decade, Robert Reed Gladwin rode the rails, learning the promise and the pitfalls of each community along Florida’s east coast. As a railway messenger for the Southern Express delivery service, he was typically armed, safeguarding packages, payrolls and valuables as they moved up and down Henry Morrison Flagler’s ever-expanding Florida East Coast Railway.
Are you new to the area and want a primer on the history of Florida? Or maybe you’re an old-timer who wants to put some of the pieces of Florida’s history together. Everyone may find answers to their questions about Florida History when Dr. Ben Brotemarkle, executive director of the Florida Historical Society, delivers the keynote address, “The Complete History of Florida in Less than an Hour,’’ at the Eighth Annual Treasure Coast History Festival this Saturday. The free festival, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., is at the grounds of the St. Lucie History Center, 414 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, and Brotemarkle’s talk is at 12:45 p.m.
