The Wild Roots of Jupiter Farms

Jupiter Farms, located in western Palm Beach County, Florida, reflects over a century of development shaped by frontier transportation, pioneer settlement, and citrus agriculture. This history traces the evolution of the region through roads, groves, and local families whose efforts left lasting marks on the landscape. While the pioneer history of Jupiter Farms is short, the history of the area spans more than 5,000 years!

The origins of Jupiter Farms' development are closely tied to the construction of the Jupiter-Indiantown Road, first proposed in 1899 when the area was still under Dade County's jurisdiction. Earlier pathways into Florida's interior were typically military trails from the Seminole Wars. A county report from July 1899 described a new westward route as "a good thing and entirely practicable." By November of that year, $425 was allocated to cut the road across the Allapattah Flats. Settlement in the Indiantown area began around the same time. The Platt family arrived via ox-drawn wagon, seeking land for cattle. Joe Bowers, a merchant from Jupiter, also moved west, trading goods with Indigenous residents and establishing orange groves. He transported his produce back to Jupiter using the Florida East Coast Railroad.

This aerial photograph from 1958 shows the Loxahatchee River, Indiantown road and Jupiter Farms road to the left. Above Indiantown, you can see the agricultural areas within the territory.

In 1909, Palm Beach County was carved from northern Dade County. By 1911, the county commissioners prioritized grading and extending the road west to Lake Okeechobee. Work began in 1912 under Grover C. Bryan, using mules and wagons to haul fill. A 1914 county map by Edmund Brooks was the first to show this road. By 1916, work on the St. Lucie Canal began, leading to the installation of a hand-winched ferry where the road crossed the canal, later replaced by a one-lane bridge in 1927. Along the route, local families like the Lainharts and Edgar W. Philo started farms, including Philo Farms (platted in 1914) and Rood Post Office (established 1915). In 1923, the South Indian River Company platted the Jupiter Farms and Groves development. The road became known as the Central Dixie Highway by 1923 and was designated a state road by 1936.

Citrus farming played a vital role in shaping Jupiter Farms. In the early 1890s, "Saw Grass" Miller (likely Augustus F. Miller) planted the first groves about six miles west of Jupiter. His land, purchased directly from the Internal Improvement Fund in 1892, included parts of what is now Riverbend Park. These groves later passed to Elisha N. Dimick and George W. Lainhart, who expanded the operations and built a packing house near modern-day Indiantown Road. The Potters (Dr. Richard B., George W., and Ellen Potter) were also influential. Dr. Potter, the area's first physician, began acquiring land around 1898 and soon planted groves bordering the Dimick/Lainhart holdings. These groves remained in family hands until sold to Robert Handy Hull in 1919. Hull also acquired the Brelsford and Lainhart groves and maintained them until financial difficulties during the Great Depression forced their return to previous owners by 1936. In 1937, Claude Dimick Reese, Sr. purchased the Brelsford/Reese groves and rehabilitated the land, clearing invasive vegetation and restoring productivity. His family maintained the groves until 1995, when the South Florida Water Management District acquired the property under the Save Our Rivers program.

Meanwhile, the Chillingworth family managed groves acquired in 1938 from Hull, adding tropical fruit trees and maintaining several structures, including a hunting cabin and caretaker facilities. These groves were sold to Dr. A.D. Jansik in 1950, whose house was later destroyed by fire. From 1944 to 1958, the Mensers consolidated ownership of the groves in Riverbend Park and the Shunk tract. They sold the properties to John and Emma Yount in 1958. While the Younts initially continued citrus farming, their primary interest was land development. They dredged the Loxahatchee River and constructed canals and drives to prepare for housing developments. In 1968, John Yount succeeded in persuading the town of Jupiter to extend its boundaries westward to include his holdings. Although he promised single-family housing, no homes were built. Instead, he sold the land to Guardian Investment Properties in 1971.

Today, the history of Jupiter Farms is preserved in place names like Randolph Siding, landscapes such as Pine Glades and Cypress Creek, and surviving hidden citrus and mango trees. Don't be fooled though, there's countless tales of history out in Jupiter Farms. Including the tragic death of cattleman Cecil Johnson, who supposedly died after getting kicked in the chest while working Reese cattle. The area's evolution from military trails and cattle ranching to citrus groves and modern development mirrors broader patterns in South Florida's transformation. Characters like Burt Reynolds and allegedly Al Capone called the Farms home. The area's roads, agricultural roots, communities, and pioneer family stories offer a lasting narrative of resilience and adaptation in a uniquely Floridian environment.

Photo courtesy of the Lainhart Family. Photo taken in packing house near present day Taylor road in Jupiter Farms, Florida.