Historical Vignettes
Step back in time to learn about the unusual, the forgotten and some of the fascinating people, events and places from Martin County's history. These historical vignettes were written by Greg and Alice Luckhardt of Stuart and were published in the "Your News" section of Stuart News and TCPalm.com (discontinued).
2018
- Time Traveling 1960-1964: Part 1 • Part 2
- Barn Theater
- Brief History of Hobe Sound
- Thanksgiving Traditions
- Forrest Silva Tucker: Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3
- Christmas
- Historic Landmark Homes: Part 1 • Part 2
- Railroads, Restaurants, Hurricanes and Alligators
- Halloween Events
- Stuart on the Home Front: Part 1 • Part 2
- Martin County Sheriffs: Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3
- Time Traveling 1945-1949: Part 1 • Part 2
- First Attorney – DeSteuben
- Time Traveling 1950-1954: Part 1 • Part 2
- Pioneers – Wood and Coon
- Time Traveling 1955-1959: Part 1 • Part 2
- Mysterious Murders: Heisley and Todt
- History’s Mysteries
- Time Travelin’ 1940-1944: Part 1 • Part 2
- Time Travelin’ 1930-1934
- Tucker Family
- Tschudi Family
- Time Travelin’ 1935-1939: Part 1 • Part 2
- Hancock Family: Part 1 • Part 2
- Moments in Martin County’s History
- Bruner Family: Part 1 • Part 2
- Time Traveling 1920-24: Part 1 • Part 2
- McCrary “Get Your Man Charlie!”
- Time Traveling 1925-29: Part 1 • Part 2
- Trivia on the Ashley Gang
- Early Jewelry Stores of Stuart
- Time Traveling 1925-29: Part 1 • Part 2
- Trivia on the Ashley Gang
- Early Jewelry Stores of Stuart
- Time Traveling 1915-1919: Part 1 • Part 2
- Business Slogans and Advertisements
- Unusual Businesses
- Ralph Hartman Sr. & Family: Part 1 • Part 2
- Unusual Stuart Businesses & Establishments
- Interesting Facts, Statistics & Coincidences
2015–2017
- Stuart City Halls 1914-2017: Part 1 • Part 2
- Time Traveling 1914-2017: Part 1 • Part 2
- Time Travel 1900-1909: Part 1 • Part 2
- Christmastide, Martin County
- Halloween in Stuart
- County’s First WWII Draftee
- Forgotten Villages of Wa Wa and Goslingville
- Poppleton • Bee Keeper
- Buck Hendry: Part 1 • Part 2 (Note: Al Henry died Sept. 24, 2017)
- Lambs Pet Farm and Poodle Pagoda
- City Incinerator
- Laurchar Inn
- 25 Facts and Stats of Martin Co.
- New Teachers in Martin Co.
- John Mann: Part 1 • Part 2
- Bank Robbery in 1961
- 52-20 Club
- Electric to Hutchinson Island and the Stuart Colony
- Ruth Bryan Owen
- Elliot, Mildred - Artist
- Mrs. Peters - Smokehouse, Part I • Part II
- Castle Hill (Hogg's Hill)
- Ginger Prince - Local Child Actress
- Stories: Museum Artifacts, Wrong Stuart High School, Mis-Labeled Postcards
- Carlisle Family
- Ambulance Service
- Woodmen Hall
- Kensington Beach Club
- Agar-Agar
- Camp Murphy Building - RTVMM
- High Point Rod & Gun Lodge
- Anthony’s Groceries
- Juno Courthouse for Stuart
- Barley Barber Swamp
- Sally Patchin - The Artist
- 100th Anniversary of Cashel
- Car Dealerships
- Trivia Events in Martin County
- Cypress Lodge in Port Mayaca
- Freddy - The Beachcomber
- Notable Trees of Stuart: Part 1 • Part 2
- Animal Rescue League
- Snook-Stuart Sign and Five Presidents
- Local Convict Camp in Tropical Farms
- Stuart's First Female Newspaper Editor
- Christmas Past in Martin County
- Dr. Anna - 1st Local Female Doctor
- Belle Flora Fire
- 1916-1917 - Electricity Comes Stuart
- Gentle Giant Movie
- Jails in Stuart
- John Kelley, The Greeter
- Hospital Property from Pioneers
- 4th Street Park
- Ghostly Experiences at the France Apartments
- Jensen Beach Christian Church-2nd Oldest
- Trivia and Info
- The Elliott Museum and Its Ghostly Stories
- Laura Upthegrove - Part 1 • Part 2
- MC Stories of People and Events
- Schools and Transportation - Pt1
- Schools and Transportation - Pt2
- Evans Crary - Frontier Lawyer
- Capt. Adams - Stuart's Flag Man
- Florida's First Auto Tag
- Black Caesar & Blackbeard: Pt1 • Pt2
- Shepard Bricks Re-purposed
- Menninger's Red Bus Line
- Anti-Polio Campaign
- Joe Jefferson with Big Plans
- McFarlan - Glass Negatives
- Aircraft Spotters
- Al Capone in Martin County
- Pittman Family, Supreme Lunch Room Tragedy - Pt1
- Supreme Lunch Room Tragedy - Pt2
- Stuart's Brushes with Celebrities
- Caesar Dean - Extraordinary
2012–2014
- Triumph & tragedy of the Tyndall family
- Eddie Miller's Baseball School of Stuart
- Walter Kitching's Trade Boat, Merchant
- Recalling the Ocean East Mall and stores
- Businesses of Stuart prior to the 1950s
- Cost, freezes destroy pineapple industry
- Reuben and Margaret Frazier, pioneers
- Legends, stories and facts about Martin County
- Interesting stories and facts about Martin County, part 2
- Homes Destroyed in Fires
- Pioneers of Palm City
- Pioneers of Eden and Jensen
- Patricia Murphy Restaurants
- Grumman Corp.
- Martin Co. Fires
- Bridges
- Legends and Stories
- Entertainment for Kids-Part 1
- Entertainment for Kids-Part 2
- Assassination of JFK and Martin Co.
- France Apartments
- Disastrous Fires in the 1920s and 1930s-Part 1
- Lumber Yards
- Early Doctors
- Doctors in 1920s-1950
- Gilbert the Pirate
- Firsts in Martin County - Part 1
- Firsts in Martin County - Part 2
- Circus, Fairs & Traveling Shows
- Intriguing Stories and Facts - Part 1
- Intriguing Stories and Facts - Part 2
- Bay Tree Lodge
- Kindred Family
- St. Lucie River Yacht Club
- Blue Goose & Pink Pony
- Fergie Ferguson
- Interesting Stories & Facts
- Encore -- Stories of Interest
- Early Salerno & Ben Mulford
- Ice Plants
- Roebuck Family
- Barbers Over the Decades
- Hairdressers of Stuart
- The Dehon Family
- Inventive Entrepreneurs of Martin County
- Pioneer Times Entertainment 1890s to 1935
- The Ambitious Morris Johns Family
- Successful Flower Industry of Martin County
- Camp Murphy and Signal Corps School
- Camp Murphy Closes
- Photos Valuable in Documenting History
- Pelican Hotel
- Racey Family
- Lighthouse Restaurant
- Making of the Ashley Gang Movie
- Danforth--His Adventures and Hotel
- Miss Harris School for Girls
- Sunrise Inn
- Harry Lyons
- Stuart's bandstands have been popular since 1912
- Students enjoyed out-of-class activities
- Wright's Fish Farm a global enterprise
- Krueger Family
- First Shopping Center
- First Department Store
- Chela Jacobo, Dancer
- Citizens Bank
- Zack Mosley and "Smilin' Jack"
- Rue's Sweet Shop
- Auto Camps
- Stuart's "Hello Girls"
- Fernhill Cemetery and the Gregorie Family
- Stuart Post Offices - the Early Years
- Stuart Post Offices - 1925 to Present
- El-Bit-Lor / Atlantic Court Apts.
- Stuart's Woman's Club - 100 Years
- Troup Rodeos of Indiantown
- Chisholm's Restaurant
- Sailfish Lodge in Palm City
- The Music, Bands and Rock 'n' Roll for Teenagers in Martin Co.
- The Willis Ball Family - Early Pioneers
- The Stuart High School Building - its Beginnings
- Martin Maloney's 'Cashel'
- Owen Murphy and 'Cashel'
- Henry Harjo-Creek Indian
- Martin County 'metamorphosis:' St. Lucie Hotel Annex
- The Devastating Fire of 1916 in Stuart
- A native son the namesake for a different 70th anniversary
- Do you remember the Seminole Indian Reptile Gardens?
- Andy Lester thrilled residents by bringing a dirigible to Stuart in 1930
- Historical Vignettes - Gilson's Circular Slide Rule Company
- 'Ramar of the Jungle' film star Jon Hall lived in Jensen with wife Frances Langford
- Dr. George L. Porter and the Lincoln assassination stories
- When bears roamed Hutchinson Island
- Legion Hall, a Venue for Entertainment
- Historical Vignettes tells the story of how Stuart became 'The Sailfish Capital of the World'
- Stuart's drive-ins offered 'campy' entertainment
- 'Ugly Wild Bill's' Indian Village and Zoo was once a famous tourist attraction in Martin County
- Grover Cleveland was a Stuart property owner
- Martin County's Ricou Browning played the 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'
- The Peacock Arcade - Stuart's First Mall
- Teen hang-outs in 1950s were Dairy Queen, mini-golf
- Kennedys used Witham Field in 1960s
- Martin County 'Robinson Crusoe' filmed in Stuart
- Martin County: Nekrassoff's world-known metal craft
- Beyers, early restaurateurs in Stuart
- Stuart's three Lyric Theatres have offered entertainment since 1914
- Johns, Matthews, Witham: Casualties of war who gave their lives for country
- Police Chief Padgett & the Ashley Gang
- Salerno Shark Industries and Vitamin A
- Stuart's 1st hospital was St. Lucie Sanitarium
- The devastating 1908 fire in Jensen
- Hugh L. Willoughby, renaissance man