LIVING HISTORY OAK HIGHWAY
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A drive on the picturesque Martin Grade
is a step back in time to Old Florida
t’s not well known, and it’s not long, but a picturesque
stretch of road west of Stuart has attracted
quite a bit of attention. Martin Grade, or The Grade
as locals call it, is a 12-mile stretch from just east of
Lake Okeechobee to the Allapattah Flats. Its official
designation is Martin County Road 714.
It was “a two-rut, cut and grub road through
woods and swamp from the 1920s until the 1950s and a
graded sand road from then until the mid-1990s,” according
to an application to designate it a scenic highway. It is paved
now and is a unique, densely lush green tunnel through
much of its length.
Oaks, slash pines and palmettos line both sides of the road,
their miles-long canopy both shading the road and offering
up a vista not seen in other parts of Florida.
Driving The Grade is to journey back to a time in Florida’s
past when the peninsula was untouched by present-day
civilization. “It is such a special place to go,” said Brian
Powers, a native resident of the area. “Once you get there you
feel like you are in a wonderland, because there really isn’t
any place like it.”
A movement is afoot to protect this treasure. Former Martin
County commissioner Mary Dawson considers the project of
extreme importance.
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BY DONNA CRARY
TOM CLAUD
The Martin Grade Scenic Highway Project was formed to save one of the most beautiful highways in Martin County.
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