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Oh yes! Palmetto Bay is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2022, but the area existed well before then and it is important to highlight our very interesting history.
What now encompasses the Village of Palmetto Bay actually started out as the “Town of Peters.” It was named after its resident, Mr. Thomas J. “Tomato King” Peters, who moved to the area in 1895. The “Tomato King” built a successful tomato-growing and packing business which became the area’s first million-dollar enterprise and like that – Peters was the first “company town.” Tomatoes were grown here, packed in boxes, and hauled to the People’s Dock on Biscayne Bay, to be shipped to Miami, and from there, to the rest of the country. The center of the Town of Peters was located about three blocks south of SW 183rd Street on the west side of US 1 in the vicinity of Quail Roost Drive.
That part of our history may not be well known. What is quite familiar to most, including those who do not live in the area, is the name “Perrine” because there are still neighborhoods that are still referred to by the popular name. The Town of Perrine encompassed the area between SW 184th Street to SW 174th Street and SW 102nd Avenue to Franjo Road. The area was named after Dr. Henry Perrine. Dr. Perrine was an astute physician and horticulturist. He was also US Consul for Campeche, Mexico and as such, was granted land in South Florida in 1839 by the United States Congress. This township of land was used by Dr. Perrine to cultivate tropical plants from other countries. Dr. Perrine met his untimely demise in 1840 during a battle of the Second Seminole War in Indian Key and after much legal dispute, his son Henry Jr. was left with a portion of the land in South Dade. Squatters received another apportionment. Two different railroad companies were also granted land, which transformed the community into a railroad camp during the construction of the Florida East Coast Railway. Until World War II, Perrine was essentially a railroad warehouse stop, which shipped agricultural produce, especially tomatoes grown on the surrounding prairie land. Streets named for people and plants were laid out parallel to the Florida East Coast railway tracks, and later a grid pattern creating triangle lots in what is now downtown Palmetto Bay. Today, the area is divided with West Perrine continuing as a neighborhood in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, while East Perrine has been absorbed into Palmetto Bay.
Another notable historic fact about our awesome Village is our historic Old Cutler Road. How many cities out there can claim a historic road as beautiful and iconic as Old Cutler Road? Not many we say! Originally called Cutler Road, then Ingraham Highway, Old Cutler Road was formally named in 1935. The road was a path cut by William Fuzzard in 1883 between his property, which became part of the town of Cutler and Coconut Grove. The road was moved twice; once by Charles Deering in 1918 to run outside his property west of his oolitic stone fence and later in 1935, when it was moved to the west of Fairchild Gardens. The original path followed the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, which was above water during the annual rainy season. Cutler Road was the first overland route between Miami and South Dade. It was designated a state historic highway in 1974. Today, Old Cutler Road has been upgraded with a multi-use pathway located on the east side of the roadway. It is not uncommon to see walkers, joggers and bicyclists along the shady pathway at all hours of the day.
And of course, who can leave behind the Chinese Bridge? It is virtually impossible to speak of our history without mentioning this other iconic landmark! The Chinese Bridge is located on a pedestrian street within a natural wildlife preserve of the Charles Deering Estate, another popular historic landmark in the Village, which is owned and operated by Miami-Dade County. The mansion was built in the 1920s by Charles Deering, a Chicago industrialist. Few are unaware of the history of the Charles Deering Estate, while many are not as familiar with the Chinese Bridge that is part of the property. In 1918, Mr. Deering constructed the Chinese Bridge relocating a portion of the original Cutler Road, which was located on the property he purchased that included the abandoned town of Cutler. He chose the Chinese theme as a reminder of his Asian travels as a young U.S. Naval officer. Before Mr. Deering came and settled in these parts; this remarkable place had already hosted 10,000 years of nearly continuous human occupation including Paleo-Indian shelters, Tequesta settlements, Seminole hunting grounds, Bahamian and Florida Cracker homesteads! In fact, the Cutler Fossil Site excavated in the 1980’s, revealed a Paleo-Indian shelter and bones of megafauna from the Pliestocene Era when sea levels were considerably lower. Unfortunately, little is known of these people who lived on the land a whopping 10,000 years ago!
Speaking of bridges, we would be remised if we failed to mention one bridge in particular that has been the right of passage for many Palmetto Bay area teens! Yes, we are referring to Snowden’s Bridge, which is the name bestowed by residents upon the infamous pedestrian bridge adjacent to Old Cutler Road between SW 173rd and SW 174th Streets. The name is used to honor a resident who built affordable homes for blue collar workers in the early 1950s. For years, teens have used the bridge to jump into the waters of the C-100 canal abutting Deering Point and Thalatta Estate Park, on the north and the south respectively.
Today, many folks are dedicated to preserving these and other iconic historic landmarks for the benefits of generations to come. As part of that effort, the Village of Palmetto Bay has created a historical brochure and video walking tour highlighting these and other historical factoids about our amazing Village.
And so, while we celebrate twenty years of incorporation, we acknowledge those who established this land area well before that. The Village of Palmetto Bay may only be twenty years old, but our past travels well beyond those twenty years and that is a fact that we are proud of!
