The Kitchings, Taylors, Matthews, Besseys, Riccous, Tiltons and more came by boat and land, built houses and shops, and fished and cultivated the land with pineapples and citrus. These were the Pioneers…the early settlers who came to stay in an area known as Potsdam and whose names appear today on many street signs and businesses in what is today known as Stuart, Florida.  

Stuart is located in Martin County on Florida's Treasure Coast. Martin County is the site of several shipwrecks from the 1700s when Spanish galleons carrying gold and silver doubloons and other treasures wrecked offshore in a hurricane. Other ships met the same fate over the years and in 1875, a U. S. Lifesaving Station was established on Hutchinson Island. Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge still stands today and is listed on the National Register for Preservation of Historic Places.

Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway ran from Jacksonville to Miami. By 1894, the FEC track had reached Stuart opening up a whole new way of life to area residents. Citrus and pineapples were shipped by rail; and tourists arrived seeking sunshine. Residents gathered at the railroad station to meet the trains and greet visitors to the area.

Early in the century, excessive taxes from Palm Beach County caused residents to lobby Governor John Martin and other legislators to form Martin County.  This was in 1925.  The new county was named in his honor.

After two devastating hurricanes in the late 20s, Martin County’s development went bust and it was a number of years before the area started to see progress and growth again. Stuart and its surrounding communities settled into the towns we know today.

Tourism kept Stuart alive for many years, particularly with the extensive charter boat business in the area. It is known as the "sailfish capital of the world."

Camp Murphy, an Army base at Jonathan Dickinson State Park during World War II, was home for many soldiers who later settled in the area.  The northern influx also began.

In the 70s, an outpouring of south Florida residents exiting Miami and Fort Lauderdale to find a more tranquil home caused the county to grow in leaps and bounds.  Martin County is one of the fastest growing areas in the state.

Just as those early settlers, today new residents come to "Enjoy Our Beautiful Area."