COVER STORY
In 1932, as a result of Binney’s connections, the U.S. War Department
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agreed to take over the port with an initial commitment
of $250,000 for further improvement and maintenance
and $50,000 a year for continued upkeep.
The new port posted a marvelous cargo record and Fort
Pierce became one of Florida’s leading shipping points for
citrus and vegetables. Binney’s final contribution to the port
was the construction of a state-of-the-art refrigeration terminal
built where Derecktor Shipyards is busy creating its mega
yacht repair and refit center.
Once the refrigeration terminal became operational in 1935,
Fort Pierce became the largest handler of perishable goods
and the state’s largest commercial fishing port. The new plant
was served by three railroad sidings and boasted a deepwater
ST. LUCIE COUNTY REGIONAL HISTORY CENTER
Some commercial sailing vessels like the Nathan Cleaves, being guided
through the new inlet by shrimp boats in 1925, were able to unload and
load cargo at the port.
slip alongside the building. A slat conveyor system
could move fruit at a rate of 60 boxes a minute directly into
the holds of waiting ships. The plant handled citrus, meat,
eggs, poultry and vegetables and served agricultural interests
within a 100-mile radius of the city.
Sadly, Binney never got to see his latest creation. In 1934,
while traveling from his home in Greenwich, Connecticut,
he died after suffering a heart attack during a stop in Gainesville.
He was on his way to inspect the new plant before it
began operations.
World War II halted all operations at the port and after the
war, railroad and trucking companies dropped their shipping
rates to render coastal shipping impractical. The port never
recovered and has remained in the doldrums ever since.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY REGIONAL HISTORY CENTER
The first commercial cargo steamship, the Betty Weems, sails through the
new Fort Pierce Inlet on its way to the Port of Fort Pierce in February 1930.
JOE SEMKOW
The opening of the inlet
that connected the Indian
River Lagoon and the
Atlantic Ocean in 1921
was an achievement that
had been more than 10
years in the making.
FORT PIERCE INLET AT 100