LIVING HISTORY
12
“My great-grandfather brought his family from
Newark, New Jersey,” says Richards’ great-granddaughter,
Mary L. Simon of Jensen Beach. “His
daughter, Lucie, kept a decent log on things that
happened in Florida. Her mother, Rebecca, was not
happy about the family’s move to Florida, and she
stayed in Newark, while her husband, Capt. Richards,
homesteaded a large tract of land on the shores of the
Indian River.”
Simon was born in a house that Richards built on
Indian River Drive, which is still occupied by Simon’s
cousin. Richards first built the Eden Grove House for
his wife, which eventually became the Eden Grove
Hotel where visitors would enjoy the lovely winter
climate that Florida had to offer. The structure remained
standing until it burned to the ground in 1986.
MAINLAND SUCCESS
Richards sailed to the Keys for his pineapple
slips — the leafy part at the top of the fruit that is
removed for cultivating — and planted most of them
on Hutchinson Island, with a few around his home
on the mainland. The ones on Hutchinson Island died
while the mainland plants thrived.
Richards ultimately acquired two miles along the
river and several years later had the largest pineapple
plantation on the Indian River. The fruit was packed
in barrels or boxes at the plantation’s packing house,
loaded onto river boats, and transported to the southern
>>
ST. LUCIE COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM PHOTOS
The sandy soil that runs along the ridge of the Indian River Lagoon proved ideal for growing pineapple, above. Top photo, Capt. Thomas Richards, seated
second from right, rigged a tram that was powered by sail to transport pineapple and other items back and forth from his bluff on the Indian River
down his dock for shipment.