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.
I hope you’ll join us from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, for the ninth annual Treasure Coast History Festival at the St. Lucie County Regional History Center, 414 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce.
It takes a village, the saying goes. As Thanksgiving approaches and we begin celebrating our company’s 20th anniversary, we pause to remember those who are no longer with us but helped us along the way. Some were the subjects of our stories who became fast friends and supporters. Others served as goodwill ambassadors.
When we started this humble publication nearly 20 years ago, the two advertising representatives we had at the time, Sunny Gates and Ed Drondoski, and I would often meet on Friday evenings at a house I was renting on South Indian River Drive in Fort Pierce, after I had moved back to the Treasure Coast from Alabama.
It’s coming up on summer when, as DuBose Heywood wrote, “the livin’ is easy.” As usual, we’ll take a little break until our next issue comes out in the fall.
There’s nothing like a fresh, sun-ripened Florida strawberry. Their vibrant red color, sweet and juicy flavor, and perfectly balanced acidity have made these berries world famous.
He’s a rancher, a poet, a writer and artist. He’s a sought-out speaker and presenter at conferences and events, discussing diverse topics from land conservation to literary arts.
The Eighth Annual History Festival is in the books, but the work continues. The festival held Jan. 11 was our biggest yet. Our company founded the festival in 2017, and today it is produced by the St. Lucie Historical Society at the Regional History Center in Fort Pierce.
Reading Jerry Shaw’s story on the old Dairy Queen at Orange Avenue and 10th Street made me wonder why old Fort Pierce people have such fond memories of that little institution.
The Treasure Coast has two important milestones to celebrate this year: the centennials of Martin and Indian River counties.
