Instructions:
1....Print this file.
2....At its end, click on "rules" to see a copy of the trail rules, print it, and then click where indicated at the end of the 3-page rules and patch order form to get back to the list of Florida trails.
3....If you want a hand-drawn map showing the locations of all of the sites, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Steve Rajtar, 1614 Bimini Dr., Orlando, FL 32806.
4....Hike the trail and order whatever patches you like (optional).
WARNING - This trail may pass through one or more neighborhoods which, although full of history, may now be unsafe for individuals on foot, or which may make you feel unsafe there. Hikers have been approached by individuals who have asked for handouts or who have inquired (not always in a friendly manner) why the hikers are in their neighborhood. Drugs and other inappropriate items have been found by hikers in some neighborhoods. It is suggested that you drive the hike routes first to see if you will feel comfortable walking them and, if you don't think it's a good place for you walk, you might want to consider (1) traveling with a large group, (2) doing the route on bicycles, or (3) choosing another hike route. The degree of comfort will vary with the individual and with the time and season of the hike, so you need to make the determination using your best judgment. If you hike the trail, you accept all risks involved.
The millworks business has been here since about 1964. It is located in the old brick school building, erected in 1926. The two-story building features double-hung windows, stucco-covered brick and ornamental trim.
Near here was Huggins' General Store. Behind it, James W. "Willie" Marshall and his cousin, Will J. Marshall, set up a sawmill in about 1924.
This section of US 1 was a part of the Dixie Highway, which was the dream of Carl Fisher of Indianapolis. He had made his fortune in the new auto industry, and wanted to build a highway from Chicago to Miami. When news got out, many communities formed associations to lobby for inclusion on the route.
The Dixie Highway Association met in Chattanooga and chose a route passing through Tallahassee and Jacksonville, and proceeding south along the east coast. Frenzied lobbying also produced an inland route passing through Gainesville, Ocala, Winter Park, Orlando, Kissimmee, Bartow and Arcadia, rejoining the coastal route at Palm Beach.
In 1915, Fisher led an auto cavalcade from the Midwest to Miami, popularizing auto trips to Florida. The Dixie Highway was officially open for traffic in October of 1925 from the Canadian border at the northern tip of Michigan to Miami.
The first school classes took place in the Culpepper orange packing house on the north side of the bay in 1889. May Valentine was the first teacher. The second school was located here by 1920 in a two-room clapboard building.
This is the first Catholic church in the south part of Brevard County, built by the men of the Catholic Colony in 1914. A small church was built by the developer in a remote area west of Malabar, but the colonists instead worshipped in nearby homes. This church building was designed by Frank Meinhardt with an American Gothic style. It was constructed of native pine and cypress from the Union Cypress sawmill in Hopkins.
The construction of the church was followed by a rectory in 1923 (now the convent), and in 1934 by a parish hall and school. In 1929, the remains in the original cemetery were exhumed and moved to their present site. The stained glass windows date to the 1914 construction. The church was substantially restored during 1994.
A parochial school was established here in 1963, due to an expansion of the Catholic community. Many came from General Development Corporation's housing project in Port Malabar. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The Florida Indian River Catholic Colony of Tillman was founded here, headquartered in the Slama Hotel. The colony was formed by a land development company which sent representatives to the Midwest farming communities to recruit colonists. Between 1912 and 1914, 105 German and Czech Catholic families moved to the area to establish farms. By 1916, many had changed to careers in fishing.
These homes were built in the 1920s. Mr. Kohten was the mayor of Tillman when it was incorporated as a town. These houses were acquired in 2001 by Michael Webber, who spent over two years restroing them to their original appearance.
The first post office, then known as Tillman, was in the home of Amelia Valentine, the first postmaster of the community. It sat near here, about 100 yards back from the river. In 1882, it was replaced by a post office on the south side of Turkey Creek about a mile west of the railroad, with Richard H. Conkling as the postmaster.
This house was built during the 1920s and was the residence of Fred Pollak. He and his brother, Harry, were the models for the old-time comic strip, the Katz'n Jammer Kids. The one-story stuccoed house named "Bayview" has a pedimented roof line.
This house dates to the 1920s, and was the home of the Wells family. The two-story wood frame home has a hipped roof covered with painted tin, and features a larger two-window dormer.
This street is named after the Popsipils, a farming family from the Midwest who moved into a 1918-19 house on Ridge Rd., across Turkey Creek.
The name "Cape Malabar" began appearing on U.S. maps in about 1825. The word means "bad bar" or "rough crossing" as pertaining to navigation charts. The town took its name from the cape.
Malabar was settled prior to 1886. One of its earliest settlers was E.B. Arnold who grew pineapples until they were wiped out by the freezes in 1894 and 1895.
Brevard County, by Elaine Murray Stone (Windsor Publications, Inc. 1988)
Crossroad Towns Remembered: A Look Back at Brevard & Indian River Pioneer Communities, by Weona Cleveland (Florida Today 1994)
Florida Historic Stained Glass Survey: Sites of Historic Windows in Public Facilities in the State of Florida, by Robert O. Jones (Florida Members of the Stained Glass Association of America 1995)
Melbourne Bicentennial Book, by Noreda B. McKemy and Elaine Murray Stone (Brevard Graphics, Inc. 1976)
Melbourne, Florida Postal History 1880-1980, by Fred A. Hopwood (Kellersberger Fund 1980)
St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 1914-1986 (1986)
Tales of Old Brevard, by Georgiana Kjerluff (The Kellersberger Fund of The South Brevard Historical Society, Inc. 1972)