History of Palm Bay
The Ais people were the first known occupants of Palm Bay. Evidence indicates the Ais were living at Turkey Creek since 2000 BC. Native people have been living in Florida since at least 12,000 BC. So people may have lived at Turkey Creek from before the last Ice Age which ocurred around 10,500 BC. The Ais were attracted to the mouth of Turkey Creek at the Indian River where they found freshwater springs from which to drink and fish, oysters, and other wildlife to eat.
The earliest place names for this area on early colonial maps of the Indian River date from the late 1700s. These names for what is modern Palm Bay included Turkey Creek, Elbow Creek and Crane Creek. There was a lumber operation, orange groves, and a packing house on Turkey Creek by the 1850s. An 1870 map of the Indian River by John Andrew Bostrom shows the area void of any modern settlements within fifteen (15) miles of Turkey Creek. The first prominent European-American settler of Turkey Creek was John Tillman in the late 1870s. Tillman’s wharf marked the mouth of Turkey Creek on the Indian River.
Credit: Brevard County Historical Commission
Tillman operated a commercially successful orange and banana grove on the north shore of Turkey Creek in the 1880s. Tillman owned the best known banana grove on the Indian River. Tillman’s wharf attracted settlers because it was a steamboat stop on the Indian River.
Growth was slow at Tillman until the arrival of the railroad in 1894. Then goods were brought in and produce was shipped to market faster using a wooden railroad depot.
A land company known as the Indian River Catholic Colony established itself at Tillman between 1900 and 1914. Local farmers quickly depleted the soil and the colony failed to a large extent because they attempted to grow two (2) crops a season to maximize profit. The remaining settlers of Tillman built St. Joseph’s Church on Miller Street. St. Joseph’s Church is the oldest building still standing in Tillman or what would become Palm Bay.
In the 1920s, a group of Tillman businessmen established the Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District. They issued $1.5 million worth of bonds to develop property during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. In 1922, a 180 mile grid of eighty (80) canals was dug to drain 40,000 acres of swampy marsh land west of Palm Bay. Canals controlled flooding so land could be put to profitable agricultural use. Farmers planted citrus groves and truck farms shipped winter produce to northern markets via the Florida East Coast Railroad. Farmers also cut down trees and sold timber and land to paper companies. West Melbourne ranchers raised cattle for beef markets and shipped the beef north to market.
Such drainage policies had the unintended consequence of leaving the land even more vulnerable to storm floods and also destroyed the habitats of a complex ecological system endangering flora and fauna.
The two hundred (200) remaining residents of Tillman nevertheless decided their town name failed to accurately depict the charming town so they successfully petitioned the town council in 1925 to change the town name to Palm Bay in honor of the sabal palm trees that bordered the mouth of Turkey Creek.
A fire among dredges and a severe hurricane caused extensive damage in 1926. This led to an economic downturn for newly renamed Palm Bay. The Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District went bankrupt due to general financial conditions.
In the next stage of Palm Bay’s modern historical development, the General Development Corporation (GDC) purchased and platted extensive tracts of land in Palm Bay in 1959 for a large residential project known as Port Malabar.
The city of Palm Bay incorporated in 1960. Just prior to expanding the city’s incorporated borders under the leadership of Mayor Harry Pollak and the Palm Bay City Council, the city population of Pam Bay stood at only 2,808 people.
That all changed in 1963 when Scenic U.S. Route 1 (US-1) or Federal Highway was completed signifying Florida had entered the modern age of the automobile. Other milestones of the 1960s show how quickly Palm Bay was growing. In 1966, The city’s first school Palm Bay Elementary was constructed and Palm Bay’s Fire Station 1 was built on Palm Bay Road. In 1967, Harris-Seybold acquired Radiation, Inc., now known as the Harris Corporation.
Development of Palm Bay after 1967 was intertwined with the General Development Corporation (GDC). The corporation laid out and built many of Palm Bay’s streets. GDC sold and built many of the homes in Palm Bay. GDC even built a large water treatment plant for Palm Bay. In 1974, the city’s first bank and motel were built in Palm Bay and growth exapanded. The first Palm Bay city library opened on Port Malabar Boulevard.in 1984.
In 1990, Palm Bay became the most populous city in Brevard County with 62,632 residents. In 1991, the GDC water treatment plant was purchased by the city of Palm Bay after GDC filed for bankruptcy on the heels of federal fraudulent home sales convictions later overturned on appeal. In 1992, the Palm Bay Community Hospital opened its doors to patients in need of medical care.
The 2000s was monumental for Palm Bay. In 2004, Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne caused the city $13 million worth of damage and costs in debris cleanup. For three consecutive years between 2003 and 2005, Palm Bay was a finalist for the All-America City Award. In 2006, Palm Bay’s population surpassed 100,000. In 2009, Palm Bay received certification as a “Green Local Government” by the Florida Green Building Coalition.
Palm Bay voters have consistently defeated measures to raise money to improve roads described as the worst in Brevard County. In 2005, residents voted down a $58.7 million bond measure to improve roads. In 2009, voters defeated a $75.2 million tax referendum for road improvement. In 2010, voters living in areas with the worst roads voted 9–1 against a $44.7 million assessment to repair them. In 2011, the city government created a Palm Bay Road Maintenance District they hope will levy taxes and alleviate destruction of drivers’ axles.
In 2010, the City of Palm Bay celebrated its fiftieth (50th) anniversary. Plans were revealed to develop an Emerald City within city limits.The multi-use eco-friendly urban community plans include residential zones consisting of townhouses and commercial zones with state-of-the-art medical facilities and research and development centers for technology firms as well as urbanized retail shopping centers. Emerald City is still in development.
In 2011, the new Palm Bay City Hall Annex was completed. The Palm Bay City Hall Annex provides a central location for city services. In 2014, the Harris Corporation opened its $130 million 54,000 square foot Technology Center employing 1300 scientists and engineers on Palm Bay Road and Troutman Boulevard or Clearmont Street. Also that same year the city of Palm Bay removed radar cameras from intersections because they did little for safety.
In 2016, Palm Bay completed the southern portion of the St. Johns Heritage Parkway and began building a new 1–95 interchange in south Palm Bay. Palm Bay voters passed a referendum in the November 2018 election electing to fund a city-wide road repair project with a general obligation bond worth $150,000,000 payable from annual ad valorem taxes. Planning, design, and construction for Palm Bay’s four quadrants is underway with a tentative eight (8) year plan.
The Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville metro area was named # 1 for tech salaries in 2018 with an average salary of $159,390. This annual salary was over three times the average Florida state salary of $50,560. Brevard County revived the Melbourne-Tillman Water Control District and it now controls 100 square miles of land.
Today in 2021 people who love to walk, run, and hike nature trails enjoy the tranquil wildlife friendly Turkey Creek Sanctuary. The state sanctuary is at the heart of Palm Bay. It provides 1.25 miles of boardwalk in which to enjoy Florida’s natural environment.
