HomeMy WebLinkAboutHistory $74 Ws
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FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Kurt S. Browning
Secretary of State
DIVISION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES
February 18,2011
Ms. Rebecca Grohall
Growth Management Director
City of Sebastian
1225 Main Street
Sebastian, Florida 32958
Re: Sebastian Working Waterfront-08-003-WW1
Florida Master Site File Form for Hurricane Harbor
Indian River County / DHR Project File No. 2011-0018B
Dear Ms. Grohall:
We are in receipt of the Florida Master Site File form for 8IR131, Hurricane Harbor. Thank you
for submitting the forms and some historical background information about this structure. It is
the opinion of this office that we do not have enough information to make a determination if
this structure meets National Register eligibility criteria. Nevertheless, as it is not being
demolished but will be used for an interpretive center, this agency has no concerns about the
city renovating the Hurricane Harbor structure for a new use.
If you have any questions concerning our comments,please do not hesitate to contact Susan
Harp at 850.245.6367. Thank you for your interest in protecting Florida's historic resources.
Sincerely,
cy...,a,„__ d . /V-41 z
Laura A. Kammerer, Historic Preservationist Supervisor
Compliance Review Section
Bureau of Historic Preservation
pc: Grant Gelhardt, FCT
RECEIVED
FEB 2 4 2011
City of Sebastian
Growth Management Dept.
500 S.Bronough Street • Tallahassee,FL 32399-0250 • http://www.flheritage.com
O Director's Office O Archaeological Research ✓Historic Preservation
850.245.6300•FAX:245.6436 850.245.6444•FAX:245.6452 850.245.6333•FAX:245.6437
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4, _ '` '� " Hurricane Harbor
when it was Inlet Bay
x
Seafood,an oyster
packing plant in the
4 .�X '; t 4 � 4 r � M.C.B.
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yy� ;� :.,;-,-,;r4,,,, Z Sa F
,* Hurricane Harbor
by Millie Bunnell
holic beverages. This period extended from
he building occupied by Hurricane Har lg 19 to 1933. The illegal sale and transpor
borRestaurant, 1540Indian River Drive, tation of liquor became a booming business.
Sebastian, dates to the mid 1920s when Se Bob McCain bought the garage in the mid
Bastian was becoming a busy town. The front
20s and turned it int a place to house his
bell of the havdibe clbuilt about the road, is
'lt about 1925 by collection of cars and ton cks. Because of the
believed e have been built
beside building's closeness to the river,it became an
Jess Powell. Located beside the main road ideal place to bring in illegal liquor cargo from
that had become the first US1, i rafters of across the river. This contraband would be
strutted of corrugated iron delivered to the ocean side of the barrier is-
heart pine. It was a garage that repaired land by larger and faster boats coming up
automobiles and had a small bath ooms. It from Cuba and the Bahama Islands. Smug-
gling of liquor became
street side and two very big business and the
was a busy place be-
garage became ahead-
cause the model T's quarters and distribu-
or trucks in the corn- tion point.
r shell had
oads mainly o trdirt
or shell roads to travel
Directly across the
�-:-t---;- - -+ � '7' river from Hurricane
on and repair was of �� r,�r _ Harbor the barrier is
ten necessary. T._
During this pe . d ! 1 � land is very narrow. A
t path was cut from the
of our nation's history, ;
4 river to the ocean side
the era of national Pro- I called New's Cut. This
hibition took place. ,N.
was about a half mile
Prohibition was a term „_ south of the present
used in the �.,_ �s:w
commonly -' inlet.
United Statestodenote Rodney Kroegel,
the legal ban onmanu son of local pioneer
facture, sale, and
transportation of alto M.C.B.
Hurricane Harbor at present(1992).
181
and first Pelican Island Wildlife Warden,Paul The Federal Government agents fin 4 '
Kroegel, remembers as a boy one evening, arrested Mr. McCain and he was imprisoned x
going across to New's Cut with George Nelson, in Georgia. Prohibition ended in 1933 and x =;
and when walking to the bluff top, seeing a once again the building returned to a garage
large stack of boxes on the beach. They had along this US1 route that paralleled the In- `
just been unloaded from a large vessel. Men dian River. Business was slow; the Depres- 4,
with guns approached, scared them and told sion of the 30's led to its abandonment. It sat ,`^`
them to leave and forget what they saw, then empty for many years or was used as a storage
gave them each a bottle of whiskey. They ran, building.
leaving the whiskey. In the late 1960's it was added onto on the t.
The smuggled alcohol was then taken by river side and an oyster packing plant devel-
smaller boats across the river and brought to oped. Oyster leases in the river were plentiful '"
a do-k at the old garage. The dock was built and wholesale oysters were shipped to the
high enough for a boat to come underneath it north from the building. Due to storms and :
and discharge its cargo without being seen predators, the oyster business survived only k £:
from the street. It was then stored in the a few years. Once again the building became I
garage and distributed throughout the state a storage garage,then a sea food market, and
by using one of Bob McCain's many cars. The later was closed. zu
sheriff frequently raided the garage to find the In 1978, Carol and Doug Moss developed
Li,
illegal goods. It was in 1926 that McCain built a restaurant in the original garage, with the ' 1
a home across the street from the garage,and kitchen in the newly added shucking plant. n ' ;
1 in one room he had a secret trap door into a Later the property was sold,but has remained '
small basement room where he hid most of a restaurant,with additions on the river side.
the smuggled goods. When the home was torn Many believe the rumrunners'ghosts still ;
down in 1990, the secret was still intact. visit the building and the area across the �` ,,
street where the house stood with its secret ., `
trap door and storage room. 0 . ;},
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Rumrunning by Jack Gold
182
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t. , t" OYSTERS n,CLAMS 116• • = r + S\OW CRAB CLA CLAWS .. •1:•(1
' . - FF �..: .) \ SHRIMP GOCHTAIL :l.!A
• f. _ CRAlt 4'INC1:R MGM`AIL.... ... 3,al
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•• II NI AIIINATED A RTI/1HOUR HGARTS
111111 HUHIt WANE TIARROk YAIbOFYF.CP'.TARI,f'R 0111
• s x`, �� Ru,r G,•y�taldva and ,P......... 1'K,
• 1TA1('fF:RD MUSHlt(k14181N WIN!: 1 r..
1979, �I RISTt lariB 1.t..
afternoon of September 3, 6fEA)lEU AllTf<tIIORFS
Imo.
the � l'�14;9A1t 4AI.AD .. � 1-� ''
Late in .' VEGETABLE RAI.of`1'H4:UM `
Hurricane DavidhitFlorid us mgt lOOmPh I I C��-_�A�,`,,'
with winds g ' i ,.x
ing Sebastian heart of FA:ALI AI S IN CHEEPS,SAUCE... roc. �.
with its sturdy 9,�
Hurricane Harbor , +O STEAMED CLAMS............
and tin roof was again l gHR,Mt' l:Anirl K: J
beamed rafters an �I SA1179SF.D FR(H%i,F.GS 11:r
pine beam In its half cen- fin, ALAFKAN RING CRAB 1k:UY ... 7!i \l'
weather another hurricane `,
had weath- I RTHAMED SHRIMP...... 9•L,
of existence,the old building t the height "'FRESH FISH OF THE DAY i11 •
tury Nsw Yortx c Trtrr,N i........... ..... ■
such days. However, 1 'FRESH FISH O
ered many w,clt wlihwc•rte, �
roof . ..-..
storm, Hurricane Harbor's tin bAbY bAClt kILR, . .. K3Li k
, 1
of the ds. Doug 11AR1R)R(:111(:K4:N Calx.'1 !.1:0
the violent win (Dtaehrwn •Rem6w 5�•fin
1,,
began to loosen In of the reS v ;,,,nr...r: .b. i&Ore) cAV,ro4=+.'
gallant owner-manager +� na e.(„b s«.
Moss, the g tied them SO
I COFFER-TEA-nl1PI'DRINH9......... 1 1
taurant, and two other brave men, highest �� 1 'D�4vdd
selves to lifelines and crawled to the g 4GF
hammering the tieback �id (:TTOCOLATR 6l1UCR 1'LE
peaks on the old roof,hamm g t OA1 MBAl.CAKI CHOCOLATE IiOC`ti
cane Har.
LY1C'UNU'1•W 4: PECAN PIE ::�
in place. Due to their efforts,Hurri the high
ed major damage from �,I��— K-IIN%ANE ta, an,a ...... 1 ,�It«,n.t
bor escaped xaIl'Al +lUalzC ,,n _.._ __
winds and driving rains of Hurricane David. —T_`
was orginally constructed in –__-,---=� -
The building o ulated Indian river. It HA���
1927 on the then unpopulated HURRICANE kKP.A1(11A1(T WI SST1/K K
soon became headquarters for the rum run-
ners and recall tgg
bootleggers during Prohibition. Old Matt WO DRIVE
Timers recall the now main deck area being Old Hurricane Harbor menu. M.C.B.
stacked t time,the ding cases of rum.
been used as a
that time, ,building'
an oyster canning
garage, a fish market,
plant, and now a restaurant.
183
•FLORIDA MASTER SITE FILE • • '
Site Inventory Form • •
• • Site No. •
• . site Name Hurricane •Harbor . Survey Date '-;IFC9/ .
Address of'Site )`�4U IN . Indian ]fiver Drive, Sel?a.stian, I i
Instruction for locating .
Location
. Subdivision name :block.no. . , lot no. .
county Indian River r. ;. . . . .
• .. District name if applicable • - •
Owner of Site: Name GBOrg6 & mildred fiunneli- Mr & Mrs Jack Lromin
Address 5hhn N Indian xixP7• Tlri P , Sebastian, P1 4329�A
Type of Ownership uommercial Recprding Date-•J ,
Recorder: Name & Title •_ .
• Address PO Box 1348 - ' •
Cora . : U- • " , �. • .
Condition of Site: Integrity of Site: Original use_commercial
Check One . One or More
j1Excellent Altered Present Use commercial
LJ Good D Unaltered Dates 1927
D Fair D Original Use Cultural/Phase
D Deteriorated 0 Restored/Date Period 20th Pcn t:ur•y '
•D Moved/Date
NR Classification Category 13u i 1 1 i ng Date listed on NR
Threats to Site: •.
•
. , ' Check One or More
0 Zoning D Transportation
0 Development p Fill •
D Deterioration 0 Dredge ••
• D Borrowing
D Other (See Remarks Below) natural Disaster
Areas of Significance: location and building .
Significance:
•
•
This building has undergone • a complete metamorphosis
since its inception in 1927 as a garage and auto repair
shop which in reality served as front for the more
lucrative business of storage of contraband liquor
during Prohobition' Days. .
After Prohibition was repealed it served in minor
capacities- in 1978 it was remodeled as a restaurant
for the first time, and given the name of ilur•ricane
Harbor. 'Under its present innovative ownership it has .
recently been transformed into a dining place with
delightfully attractive and interesting atmosphere
overlooking the Indian River. .
•
.
•
•Architect ••
Builder . l'robo.taiy Doc Sloan or Bob Mcr'ain
Style and/or Period Frame vernacular •
Plan Type Irr• --- Irr.
Exterior Fabric(s)wood-Veneer overr corrugated metal
Structural System(s) post & beam.
Porc►iesEast - enclosed -- sliding glass
Orientation faces Indian liver
Foundation poured concrete -
.Roof Type gable
Secondaryoor Structures)
Roof SurfacingPolYurathene over jv crimp metal
Window Type ' , • , . . . . ._ . . _ . .
• Ornament Exterior ,. . , . . . . _ . .
Chimney nn
Chimney Location • •
No. of Chimneys No. of Stories one
No. of Dormers Outbuildings --
Surroundings
Map Reference (incl. scale & date)
•
Latitude and Longitude:
o I .. U
Site Size (Approx. Acreage of Property)
LOCATION SKETCH OR MAP . N Townshi Range Section
0ysftr l0/ I 1 .� ' �� �Y
J .
C'v�..��1 >-y UTM Coordinates
7% �j ' r
• _ _•.,......,„,� ,,
Zone Fasting Northing
P.
o �5.,,.V.. l
a� j4 J
Ili -r
Photographic Records Number ..le:It J-..„ (-
Please attach Photographic Print . . .q
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11 1911 G ,
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at it I{fir r. " i..1}9, !lC� 1•- P! !�'t�:1�� f� ` lkvt'.•
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4114';. ` 47. OCEAN BREEZE SERVICE STATION. 1690 N.
. «<� 4,-,,,,,,,,,, _�� `" Indian River Drive.In 1927;when this building was built,it
r was a gas station with a small grocery store.Living quarters
' "? were in the rear. It was built by Okie Bland.
lr+' ti,. ,z:mil.. ..�. .
ti
44. DOC SLOAN HOUSE. 1603 U. S. 1. Prior to 1915
this building was the Tompkins store located on Main Street
' ,,
and North Central Avenue.After it was moved,Doc Sloan,
a bootlegger,lived in it. He was also a grove owner.
i
1
� +
_.... , i . . \,.. ,.-77 i - . f ■1 1 '<',,'. i) ';1"
, i
;' . 48. MAY'S MARINA. 1732 N. Indian River Drive. This
- --- ��, early "fish house" with a dock extending into the river
existed before the 1926 hurricane. Most of the buildings
have been rebuilt,except possibly the fish house at the end
‘....4C
-0 4159.3L0 GARAGE. 1322 U.S. 1.Built circa of the dock.
1930 by a Mr. Amos for Rabun Letchworth, this was
originally a garage. Then it was used by the Sebastian
Volunteer Fire Department. With further renovation and
additions it has become a treasure museum.
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49.ARCHIE SMITH WHOLESALE FISH CO. 1740 N.
— .. ---. .,.,,:,,„_ Indian River Drive. The residence building of this "fish
46.HURRICANE HARBOR-McCAIN GARAGE. 1540 house"complex was built in 1926 as a gas station,but was
N. Indian River Drive. In 1927,this building was a garage never used as one.Other buildings along the dock were built
and auto repair shop serving as a"front"for receiving and in the next ten years. Note the tracks on the dock and the
storing contraband liquor during prohibition. Across the hand pushed trolley that carries fish from the fish house on
street was the house of Bob McCain, the area's most the dock to waiting trucks.This fish house has been placed
notorious bootlegger.In 1978 the garage became a restaurant. on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 19
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' <ARCHIE SMI'T'H FISH HOUSE) • A
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Aerial view of Hurricane Har th
i � house across the road on Indian bor River and e drrive.Bob M.CB.McCain
•
.` ! • . ,HURRICANE HARBOR'
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`^ a Mi air,''an rgh.:'s".7&—. 4.,V r , ,.;.Aa• .,.i >;-��•h wire-ti. �.;:�,.rs-w. § * M. ter,