Tag Archives: Martin County Creation

Martin County’s Centennial Year is Coming Soon

On November 9, 1950, The Stuart News put out a 110-page Historical Edition. It had a cover piece showing the plaque at the right of the courthouse entrance that was to be unveiled on Veteran’s Day, two days later. 

This plaque installed 74 years ago is still near the front door of the Court House Cultural Center.
The 110-page Historical Edition of The Stuart News published November 9, 1950 contains a great deal of Martin County History including many first-hand pioneer accounts.

When our family purchased the negatives of local photographer Arthur Ruhnke, the ones immediately appreciated were of the 1950 Veteran’s Day celebration. The Martin County Council for the Arts had just moved into the 1937 addition to the old courthouse.

My favorite shows Dale and Mike Clark sitting on a car trunk in the foreground. Dale Clark had been my husband’s Stuart High School teacher and “Mike,” whose real name was Ella, was a co-founder of the Environmental Studies Center on Indian River Drive in Jensen Beach. Dale Clark was Principal of Jensen Beach Elementary School on Savanna Road when our kids attended.

Martin County Courthouse
Arthur Ruhnke captured this scene on Veteran’s Day 1950. The man wearing a straw hat suspenders adds a vintage quality to the photograph.

When the 1937 addition to the old Martin County Courthouse became the Court House Cultural Center, Mark Taylor who taught photography at FIT, colorized a black and white print of the crowd in front of the flag draped building. Before the days of PhotoShop it was very special. The framed photograph may still be on the wall of the Court House Cultural Center.

Lottie Martin, the former Governor’s wife, looks up at her husband at the podium. County Commissioner Arthur Sims stands behind Mrs. Martin, R. V. Johnson, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Governor John W. Martin, Judge A. O. Kanner , Stuart Mayor Drew W. King and Senator Evans Crary are also standing.

The plaque installed in honor of Governor John W. Martin, for whom our county is named still can be seen on the front of the Court House Cultural Center.

The Creation of Martin County

The photograph of local boosters, wives and political figures witnessing the signing of the bill creating Martin County on May 30, 1925, preserves an important moment.

Group witnessing Governor John W. Martin signing bill that created Martin County Florida.
Left to right seated: John E. Taylor, Mrs. W. I. Shuman, Mrs. Martin and Governor Martin, Mrs. A. W. Young, Senators T.  J. Campbell and  J. W. Watson. Standing: T. H. Getzen, Representative S. W. Getzen, W. B. Tilton, Major W. I. Shuman, Stuart Mayor Stanley Kitching, J. B. McDonald, Dr. Fons A. Hathaway and A. W. Young. Ashley Family Collection

I wondered about the ages of the men who went to Tallahassee to lobby for a new county, so I looked up their birth dates and did the arithmetic.

Portrait of John E. Taylor, Mayor of Stuart, President of the Seminole Bank, Representative in Florida Legislature.
John Taylor at the age of 33 in 1925.
Stanley Kitching longtime Chairman of the Florida Inland Navigation District.
Stanley Kitching was 51 years old in 1925.
Portrait of Jackson Beauregard McDonald, first Mayor of Stuart Florida.
Jackson McDonald was 63 years old in 1925.
Warner Belknap Tilton portrait.
Founder of AA in Martin County Florida
Warner Tilton was 29 years old in 1925.
Thomas Hart Getzen portrait.
Thompson Hart Getzen was 34 years old in 1925.

Warner Tilton, at 29 years old, was the youngest of the group. His father-in-law, R. R. Ricco who had big plans for a new county, died unexpectedly and chose Warner to represent his interests. Of the five men from the St. Lucie River region, three were related. Jackson McDonald was the step father of John Taylor and Stanley Kitching was the uncle of John Taylor’s wife.

As I contemplated the men who undertook the creation of a new county, I realized that there was only one attorney in our group, Thompson Hart Getzen. In my mind, it seems likely that having his brother in the legislature must have been a great advantage to the local leaders who wanted a new county. Then, I thought about my husband, Tom Thurlow’s little book The Early Lawyers of Martin County.

Information about Thomas Hart Getzen.
Cover of The Early Lawyers of Martin County by Thomas H. Thurlow Jr published in 2011. Former Stuart School modified to Martin County Courthouse.e

Deanna Thurlow designed and supervised the printing of The Early Lawyers of Martin County for her father-in-law. It gives me much satisfaction to have Tom’s research contribute to my blog. Florence Getzen Boushall, Thompson Hart Getzen’s daughter, provided Tom with images and information..

Deanna Thurlow shows her father-in-law the proof of his lawyer book in June 2011.