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industry expanded when the Okeechobee Ice Plant was constructed in 1918, one year after the county was formed. Before that, large steamboats transported fish to other places on the lake for sale. When the Florida East Coast Railroad began service into this area in 1915, fish could be placed in large tin-lined barrels, iced and shipped to various places for process-ing and sale. Timber would be hauled to larger sawmills, while the vegetables grown in the region’s rich soil found their way to cities where there was no room for farming but a great need for food.
With the lake, fertile soil, large tracts of land and the train, this area now had everything needed for growth. The lo-cation was perfect, as it was centrally located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
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t would be difficult to name all the early businesses in existence during the first century of Okeechobee County. In 1917, our county was carved out from three counties — Osceola, St. Lucie and Palm Beach. It will be impossible to name each of those enterprising entrepreneurs, but an effort will be made.
Little did Peter and Louisiana Chandler Raulerson realize when they arrived at what is now Okeechobee, there would be honors attached to their name for over a hundred years.
This family of nine (two parents and
I
seven children) left their home in Basing-er, near the Kissimmee River, in 1896 to raise their cattle and begin a new life in the wilderness. None of them had any idea how this area would expand and become
a county of 40,000 to 50,000 residents within the hundred-plus years of time.
The first businesses here were tending cattle, farming and catfishing. The fish
Catfish were abundant in Lake Okeechobee.
The Boromei family arrived in 1915 and soon bought a fish
company and began the Boromei Fish Co., which was in business for many years.
A picture of South Park Street in 1940 showing the Raulerson Building, A & P Grocery Store, Wise Grocery Store, The Waffle Shop, Park Drugs, Scharfschwerdt Hardware and the Okeechobee Hardware Store.
By Betty Chandler Williamson
Paved Road to Okeechobee’s Sustained Growth Over
Last Century
Many Varied Businesses
Steamboats transported fish on the lake.
Southland Hotel.
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Much of our early history was shared when the City of Okeechobee celebrated its centennial in 2015. Some information may overlap, but a try will be made to stay on track, citing other events of our county, which was formed in 1917.
Various ethnic groups represent many of the colorful characters who have been residents of our county throughout this century of Okeechobee County.
Some of our early professionals did not have designated locations and used their homes for their “headquarters.” Some of those were physicians, ranchers and hotel owners. Several of the newly constructed hotels had good sized living quarters for their families inside their establishments. Many were built in the 1920s.
Some of the octogenarians and nona-genarians living today remember the deterioration of those abandoned hotels. I recall when, in the 1940s, the Southern Hotel, which was downtown on West Fifth Avenue (Osceola), had been desert-ed by the owners, slowly falling down, ruins lying on the sidewalk. As students
rapidly and the need for car mechanics increased. Ellis Meserve opened the first hardware store, and Mr. O.O. Davis was the owner of the first furniture store.
Charles Winkler was an early barber (his shoe-shine stand is preserved at the Okeechobee Historical Museum). Minor Holmes owned the Star Barber Shop.
The two drugstores available at that time were Park Drugs and Okeechobee Drugs. Places to eat were the Echo and Serena Jones restaurants. The Bank of Okeechobee was first located in the Boardwalk building, as was the telegraph/telegram office. This historic building is still standing and has been repainted to look good for another century.
Two attorneys were in practice, R.E. Hamrick and George V. Parker. Five physicians had their shingles hung. They were: Drs. C.R. and Anna Darrow, A.F. Thomason, Frank Lopez and George Hubbard. Carter Randolph Bibb and Mace Bean were the community’s two dentists. Dr. Bibb pulled my first “baby tooth,” and I cried because it hurt! There were three real estate firms in business locally. They were headed by D.R.
McNeil, D.E. Austin and Thomas B. Owens.
There were four hotels at that time in Okeechobee, which included the Lovvorn Hotel, owned by Mr. and Mrs. J. Lovvorn, who arrived the first year of our county’s incorporation. I recall walking by their establishment near the East Coast Railway and seeing a man seated at a desk wearing a green visor on his head. I suppose it was Judge Lovvorn, who was at one time elected Okeechobee County judge.
The other three hotels were the Hillsboro,
the Southern Hotel and the Northern Hotel. My family lived for a short while in 1947 at the Northern Hotel, while our modest home on Fifth Avenue (near the old jail) was being built. I remember thinking it strange for each of the rented rooms to have small sinks in them. I found out later, this was the custom for hotels … gentlemen could shave in their rooms. The bathroom was upstairs, which could have been inconvenient except for the fact that we were the only people living there. George Clay from West Vir-ginia had purchased this quaint hotel in the 1940s. I do recall his grandson, Freddie Clay, a photographer, having a
on our way to school, we stepped out into the street because we were anxious about walking near the debris. The decline of those hotels began after the “boom” ended in 1929.
Kyle Van Landingham gathered informa-tion from a 1918 directory published for St. Lucie/Okeechobee counties. Some of the facts gleaned from this publication
named several general merchandise and department stores. Owners included: Lewis Raulerson, George Frese, Mr. Slesinger, Okeechobee Supply Co. and Z.K. Simmons, proprietor of the Sim-mons Mercantile Co. Also named were three grocery stores: McCarthy & Co., W.F. Owens’s Cash & Carry, and a meat market owned by Henry T. Bass.
The Scharfschwerdt brothers operated a garage, and there were two other garages, the Okeechobee Garage Co. and the Walston Auto Shop. Remember, the automobile inventory was growing
Seminole Indian ladies frequented Okeechobee to shop and visit.
A photo of Osceola Avenue in 1924, depicting the businesses on this busy street. The picture looking north shows the Southern and Northern Hotels along with the other businesses on Fifth Avenue.
Mr. McCarthy, an early grocery store owner, with two Seminole Indian customers.Hotel rooms had small sinks in them so gentlemen could shave in their rooms. ++
The Sherman Sawmill was located east of town on State Road 710 in the 1930s.
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small studio upstairs in the 1950s. The Northern Hotel was located where the Smitty Glass Co. is presently situated on Fifth Avenue.
The Okeechobee Hardware store was located on Park Street. At one time, the owners, Ellis and Faith Meserve, lived above the store. Later, they constructed a new store also on Park Street. About this time, they moved into their lovely home on Parrott Avenue.
The Scharfschwerdt brothers, of German descent, arrived in Okeechobee in 1915. Their names were Edward, Louis and Otto, and they operated a hardware store and a garage. Behind this garage,
they opened the first movie house two years prior to 1917. It was reported that over 200 people were on hand for the opening of this large venue. I remember the Scharfschwerdt store as it was next door to the Park Drug Store, where I was employed as a teenage “soda jerk.” I remember going into the hardware store one day and several men were sitting on stools with quarters spread on the counter and a punch-board in their hands. This was a game in which you paid a 25-cent fee and used something the size of a match to punch a rolled-up number through the board. I never played, as it was for adults only. This occurred around 1948 and soon after was considered gambling and was removed from the public eye.
The Gilbert Theatre, owned by Gilbert Culbreth, was built in 1933. This was the most exciting place in town; one could see thrilling movies, first in black and white and then in Technicolor. I will always appreciate the Christmas parties given by the Culbreth family through-out my youth. The anticipation of free cartoons and a paper sack full of fruit, candy and nuts whetted my appetite for the holiday all year.
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The Gilbert Theatre opened in 1933.
At the Gilbert Theatre, one could see thrilling movies,
first in black and white and then in Technicolor.
+
+
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Tom Conely III, a local attorney, gave an interesting review of early Okeechobee during the Diamond Jubilee (75th anni-versary) in 1992. His father, T.W. Conely Jr., had many titles during his residency in our town. He had practiced law before arriving from Marianna in 1921. He was a mayor of Okeechobee and was also elected to be our representative in the Florida House. Judge Conely was an Okeechobee County judge when I worked in the Okeechobee County Clerk’s office in the 1950s.
There was no mandatory fencing until the late 1940s. The cattle to be sold were driven through town to the holding pens and dipping vats near where the livestock market is now situated on U.S. 98 North. The railroad arrived two years before the inception of the county. Cattle were then placed in boxcars to go to feeding lots elsewhere.
The Okeechobee Livestock Market, established in 1937 with once-a-week cattle sales, was an immediate success. During the Second World War, the Dixie Cattlemen’s Association was formed and many of their cattle were sold at the local market. Through the years, the livestock business prospered. Two sales are now staged weekly. Various owners have oper-ated this enterprising cattle market. The Clemons family, Pete and sons Jeff and Todd, are the present owners. Hundreds A typical set of cowpens with Braford cattle in the foreground.
Inside the livestock market where buyers bid for cattle.
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The “Diamond Jubilee” (75th Anniversary of Okeechobee) was celebrated November 7, 1992.
Okeechobee Livestock Market's exterior located on Highway 98 North.
There was no mandatory fencing until the late 1940s. The cattle to be sold
were driven through town to the holding pens.
++
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of beef and dairy cows are handled weekly at the original site near the railroad tracks on U.S. 98 North.
There have been several sawmills in our town. The first was one owned and oper-ated by the pioneer Raulerson family. A larger mill was at Sherman, a small village on State Road 710 East. W.C. Sherman was the owner (Bill Sherman, son of W.C., was the Okeechobee County ap-praiser for many years). I recall the curve in the road with Australian pines growing where workers’ houses once stood. The road has since been straightened. There is little to mark this important industry.
Several other sawmills have been in operation in our small town. I recall one in the mid-1940s across the railroad tracks on the east side of U.S. 441 North near where Glades AC is now located. Our Girl Scout leader, Mrs. Eva Mae Williams, took our troop on a hike to enjoy a picnic and to play on the hill of sawdust. Mr. Hubie Boree owned that sawmill in 1945. He sold it later to Van Lightsey. Lewis O’Cain owned a sawmill located off U.S. 441 North on the Evergreen Cemetery road. He leased the land from Dave Coker and opened the business in 1971. There may have been others I have inadvertently omitted.
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Timber: Harvesting resin or rosin from pine trees. Alvin Sweatt, supervisor of the Okeechobee
Ice Plant built in 1918.
Because Okeechobee was centrally located, the Florida East Coast Railroad hauled
fish, timber and vegetables across the state.+ +Okeechobee Sawmill, 1913.
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as was my father, were paid on Saturday after a six-day workweek.
Beginning in the 1940s, I recall the A&P Grocery Store, McCarthy’s Grocery Store and also the Cash and Carry stores, such as Wise Grocery Store and the Raul-erson meat market. There is a picture showing the Jellico Grocery Store oper-ating in the second location of the Bank of Okeechobee after the bank failed in 1926. Later it became Hunt Bros. Grocery Store (Earnest and Omar Hunt were the owners). My father was em-ployed as a butcher in their meat market. The store was later sold to brothers Jessie and Jackson Davis and became known as
The earliest mention of a Western Union was a sign on the Boardwalk building, which also housed the first Bank of Okeechobee. The location of this build-ing is at the corner of Northwest Park Street and Northwest Fifth Avenue. The bank was later moved to the next block east and closed in 1926. The Western Union was a very important part of our lives. It has had several locations during the years. One was in the Southland Hotel. It was used for business contacts and personal family communication. Our family used the telegram system often to keep in touch with members living elsewhere, as we did not have a telephone in our house.
The first telephone system was installed in Okeechobee by T.A. Sizemore in 1917. There is a mural depicting the arrival of the telephone on the Century Link telephone building on Parrott Avenue. The users either paid their telephone bills at this site or sent them in by mail. Many young women were employed as operators until the office closed in 1972.
Some of my earliest remembrances are from the late 1930s. I fondly recall going with my family to town on an early Satur-day night to buy groceries. Most laborers,
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Elliott's Pawn Shop and former Western Union, located in one of the oldest buildings on Park Street.
First telephone company was installed by T. A. Sizemore in 1917. A mural sponsoredby Main Street depicts a scene of that era.
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the Davis Grocery Store. I saw my first frozen food chest for vegetables and ice cream at this location. This historic build-ing is now owned by Gilbert Culbreth & Associates and is adorned with beautiful murals sponsored by Okeechobee Main Street.
Raulerson Department Store was where you purchased dry goods, such as shoes, clothing, patterns and material for sewing.
Some families bought (from a feed store) colorful, used feed bags that had been washed and stacked for sale. I remember a lady telling me she could make a dress out
42 | August 2017 OKEECHOBEE THE MAGAZINE
of two matched sacks and two small boys shirts from one of the bags. Every home had a treadle Singer sewing machine, and almost all of us made our own clothes. We learned to sew either at home or from our home economics classes.
H.L. Chandler had an early dairy herd. He advertised in a 1918 issue of the Okeechobee Call newspaper, “Pure milk from a herd of pure Jerseys delivered to your door morning or evening.” I recall having milk delivered when Sonny and I were first married and lived in town. I believe the Bass family owned a dairy that was located near the American Legion Hall, south of City Hall.
The Burgess Paint Store was opened and operated by R.A. “Red” Burgess in 1945. The store is presently owned and managed by Bobby Burgess, son of Red and Nina Burgess. Red was first the manager of the A&P Grocery Store (it was situated in the old building in which Nutmegs is now located). Dozier Clements, at 13, worked for Mr. Burgess, and the store has been in operation for over seven decades.
Burgess Paint Store was founded by R. A. Burgess in 1945.
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The old Bank of Okeechobee building is now known for its beautiful murals on the windows.
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Cattle first came into Florida with the Spaniards in the 1500s in the St. Augus-tine area. It is interesting to notice that this was decades before cattle were intro-duced into the Western United States. The beef cattle that Peter Raulerson brought into this area were decendants from that Spanish stock, which were cattle of European origin.
Big changes in the Florida cattle business began to happen after World War II. Pastures were improved by clearing the native wire-grass and palmetto vegeta-tion and planting grasses and clovers for much better grazing. Until then the cattle breeds were descendants of the British breeds, Hereford, Angus and Shorthorn. But a new breed came on the scene, the Brahma, one from India that was very different. When Brahma cattle were crossed with the British-bred cattle, the hybrid vigor was dramatic.
In a short while these purebred crosses were named: Brahman/Angus cross was named Brangus; Brahman/Hereford were called Braford; and the cross, Brahman and Shorthorn, done first by the King Ranch in Texas, were named Santa Gertrudis.
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In the late 1950s and early ’60s, dairies migrated from Dade and Broward coun-ties into the Okeechobee area. Some of those first dairies were owned by the McArthurs, Larsons, Butlers, Goolsbys, Ruckses and others. When these new dairymen arrived, they found one dairy already here, operated by the local families of Joe and Jack Wolff.
Due to the water quality issues raised by nutrients found in the runoff water flowing into Lake Okeechobee, many
restrictions were placed on agriculture. A large number of the dairies moved away, some to Georgia. Some stayed, and today still produce milk for the huge market in counties to the south. The dairies of Butler, Larson, McArthur and Rucks, to name a few, remain in Okeechobee.
Radio station WOKC first broadcast from the Southland Hotel in the early 1960s. It was located near the intersec-tion of U.S. 441 and State Road 70. Sadly, in 1968 the historic hotel was
demolished to make room for the wid-ening of the roads. The new station was constructed on U.S. 441 South and was ready for transmitting before the old building was razed. This popular radio station continues to serve the community with country music, the latest news and weather and much more from its present location at 210 N.W. Park St.
When I was a young teenager, the nearest radio station that our generation had was situated in Belle Glade. It expanded its reach to cover us country bumpkins. We could send a postcard for three cents, request a song, and it could be dedicated to someone or simply be a favorite song we wanted to hear. Life was so full of simple pleasures in the middle 1940s and ’50s.
Education has been a priority since the first settlers built a palmetto shack for a school in 1898. From this meager beginning, the Okeechobee County school system is now one of the largest businesses in town. It has many teachers/employees, schools and other buildings, including auditoriums, gymnasiums and lunch rooms, also bus barns and ball fields. I cannot name all the assets of our public schools. The main one is its role in educating our youth, which is done well.
Locals can brag that there is now an ex-tension of Indian River State College in Okeechobee County. It is located on the Dixon-Hendry Campus. Many of our students are able to live at home, have part-time jobs and attend classes in Okeechobee. Some of the subjects offered are at the main campus in St. Lucie County, but many can be obtained locally. Our students are proud to receive a diploma from this great institution.
WOKC radio station was first located in the Southland Hotel. Sadly, when this historic hotel was demolished in 1968, the station moved to South 441. WOKC is presently located at 210 N.W. Park Street.
Early cattle were called cracker, scrub or guinea cattle.
Radio station WOKC first
broadcast from the Southland Hotel
in 1962.+ +
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Cattle Co. land that, along with their cattle, has acres of citrus. Almost all the people involved in citrus have an office or a part of their home designated to keeping safe the many records required to run a business.
There are over three dozen restaurants now listed in the telephone directory. It’s surprising that we have five or more ethnic eating places. The first one, after half a century, was Caso’s. Mama Caso cooked and served the best lasagna ever!We now have several ethnic restaurants; Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican and Italian. The first Mexican one, in my remembrance, is Los Cocos Restaurant, owned and operated by Juan and Yolanda Solorano for over three decades.
We have numerous restaurants, and the one in operation for the longest continuous time is Gladys’. It originated with Dozier Clements’s father, C.D. Clements, and was operated by his first wife. It was called “Mary’s Restaurant.”
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The Okeechobee News was established in 1914 and was called the Okeechobee Call.
A Hispanic ‘orange picker’ working at the Williamson Cattle Company north of Okeechobee.
The Okeechobee News was first called the Okeechobee Call when it was established in 1914. This business is the longest-run-ning one in what is now Okeechobee. We want to say a big “thank you” to the Okeechobee News for continuing through the decades to bring us our news.
Orange and grapefruit groves have played a large part in our community. Peter Raulerson and Henry Hancock planted early groves of fruit north of town. Even though there are no citrus pro-cessing plants locally, the management and picking of the fruit has helped the economy. A picture of a picker is shown emptying his picking bag on Williamson
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863.763.1994www.okeechobeefuneralhome.comFarming: Several laborers shown harvesting vegetables in the fertile fields of our area.
Citrus groves were first planted north of town in the early 1900s by Peter Raulerson & Henry Hancock.+ +
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434343434343434343434343434343434343434434343434343434343434343434343434343434 www.OkeechobeeTheMagazine.com August 2017 | 4948 | August 2017 OKEECHOBEE THE MAGAZINE
After Mary’s death, Mr. Clements re-married and Merle Clements became the owner. Gladys Clay purchased the café in 1951. She signed it over to her daughter, Alberta Griffis, in 1991. The restaurant celebrated 50 years of family ownership in 2001. Paul E. Wilson has been the owner/manager for eight years.
Several of our former Okeechobee High School students are managing their own eating establishments. Some that come to mind are Kahootz, owner Tommy Hoover; nutmeg’s, owner Megan Hardy Mattson; and Tin Fish, whose owners and operators are Courtney Lapp and Dakota Maraschino.
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I want to end this report of businesses with one that affected almost every res-ident in Okeechobee, beginning in the late 1930s and serving our community for several decades. I’m speaking of the Markham Canning Plant, owned by Allen and Roscoe Markham. We had never had a factory in our small town where many people, mostly men, were employed. During World War II, many of the eligible men joined or were drafted into the military service. Housewives were hired to assist with the processing of the vegetables. This made a change in their lifestyles, as most had never worked, except for caring for their small armies of children. They learned to balance a workday and a “home life.” The extra money was welcomed, I know, as my mother, Sadie, was one of the workers. Tommy (son of Allen Markham), we appreciate the work made available to us through your family partnership.
There is not enough room in this pub-lication to acknowledge everyone who contributes to our community. We are like a quilt of many colors, and each one is important to complete the coverlet. The Okeechobee area has a business to meet almost every need.
The popular Crossroads Restaurant, known for its home-cooked buffet, is owned and operated by David and Carolyn Douglas. We have Lightsey’s Restaurant, which began with a long-time local family. I do not mean to omit anyone, but we have a lot of good-eating places in our town.
There are multiple churches in our com-munity, and their outreach is tremen-dous. Several distribute food to the needy through their mission houses. Four have already celebrated their centennial. They are: the Church of God, the Catholic Church, First Baptist of Okeechobee and the Methodist Church.
The first hospital constructed here was in 1948, named for Louisiana Chan-dler Raulerson, my great-aunt Anna. We natives of Okeechobee were perhaps the most appreciative of the addition of a hospital. Before it was constructed, those needing a hospital had to travel to Sebring or Fort Pierce for medical service. The present hospital is named for the pioneer Raulersons’ great-grandson: Dr. H.H. “Raulie” Raulerson.
We have had excellent administrators, and the present one is Brian Melear. He, along with the many physicians, nurses, aides and all the other employees, are doing a wonderful job, and we appreciate them all.
In 1984, Faye Abney Williamson Haver-lock had the foresight to know what was needed for our community. She worked unrelentingly for over two years to have the plans for the Okeechobee Health Care Facility approved. I recall my husband and I attending an open house before any clients arrived, and our friends and us kidding about “reserving our rooms.” We have seen many of our friends being cared for at this local health care facility. Faye, we appreciate you and your staff.
Gladys' Restaurant, thought to be the oldest café in Okeechobee.
Louisiana Chandler Raulerson Hospital was constructed in 1948 and was utilized until 1961.
Markham Brothers Canning Plant was the first factory here. It opened for business in the late 1930s, and it served the public well with local employees.
Many housewives in Okeechobee worked for the first time at the Markham Canning Plant during
WWII while the men were in the service.+ +
