 |
| Hypoluxo peninsula, State of Florida Archives |
By Jane Feehan
Those driving by I-95 exit signs for Hypoluxo may be more
curious about that name than its history. Its story runs similar to those of other
South Florida settlements of the 1800s with a few paragraphs, if not chapters, setting
it apart.
One differentiator is its location on a small peninsula off
the Lake Worth Lagoon and on a small section of the adjoining mainland. The beauty
of the area beckoned Captain W. H. Moore
of Chicago during his mail steamer routes to the new frontier. On a return trip
to Chicago, he convinced his brother-in-law, Hannibal Dillingham Pierce
(1834-1898), to travel with him to Florida with Pierce’s wife, Margretta and
child, Charles.
Pierce settled in Jupiter where he worked as assistant to
the lighthouse keeper from October 1872 to October 1873. The family moved to Hypoluxo
Island in 1873 where Pierce grew tomatoes and eggplant. He acquired 50 acres
via a federal Homestead Grant in 1883. He also served with the government overseeing
several houses of refuge along the coast.
Genesis of the name, Hypoluxo, is not clear. One
story indicates Pierce asked a Seminole how to pronounce the name they called
the area; from that, he fashioned its spelling. Local Indians reportedly said it
meant “surrounded by water, can’t get out.” Other accounts say the word meant “round
hill or mound.” The name Hypoluxo first appeared on War Department maps in 1841.
 |
| Hypoluxo sign 1986 State of Florida Archives |
Another interesting story is the Barefoot Mailmen
connection. Three men in their early 20s from Kentucky ventured to Hypoluxo in 1885:
Andrew Garnett, James Porter and James Edward Hamilton. Together, they purchased
16 acres. Garnett and Hamilton also signed up with the United States government
to work the recently re-opened Star Route 6451 deactivated in 1867.
Andrew Garnett was tapped as postmaster. Ed Hamilton signed
up as courier in 1887. His route ran south past Jupiter (southern terminus of route
6451) to Miami. A few months after
joining the postal service he disappeared at Hillsboro Inlet where it is thought
he tried to swim across the inlet to retrieve a lost boat. His clothes were
found along the shore, but he was not. He may have drowned or was attacked by
alligators that frequented the area.
Hypoluxo, 14 miles south of Palm Beach and just west of
Lantana, grew slowly after Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad was extended
south. The picturesque area caught the attention of developers—as much of the
area did—after Palm Beach gained popularity.
Advertisements for Hypoluxo peppered the pages of The Palm Beach Post with high praise of its beauty, location and prospects in 1920: He who gives his family a home on Hypoluxo Island gives them the best. There will only be 196 men in this world who can give as much.
The 196 probably referred to available lots.
One of the fortunate residents was Charles Myers, a winter
resident of Hypoluxo who spent summers in Illinois. In 1920 he notified The
Palm Beach Post to change newspaper delivery from Wheatfield, Il. back to Hypoluxo.
It’s too hot up here and I want some fine air off the
ocean. My vacation slogan is: See tropical Florida: if you don’t like it you
can go back.
Mr. Myers might say that today or he could be one of those to go back. Hypoluxo was incorporated as a town in 1955. Today the community
is home to about 2,800 residents.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan
Sources:
The Palm Beach Post, July
13, 1918
The Palm
Beach Post, July 1, 1916
The Palm
Beach Post, Aug. 18, 1920
The Palm
Beach Post, Jan. 9, 1923
The Palm
Beach Post, Jan. 18, 1923
The Palm
Beach Post, Nov. 17, 1940
The Palm Beach Post, April 26, 1953
The Palm Beach Post, May 19, 1954
The Palm Beach Post, July 3, 1955
Jupiter Lighthouse
WestPalmBeach.com
Tags:
Hypoluxo, Palm Beach County history, Lake Worth Lagoon
