JAMES HOMESTEAD AND FIRST JEWELL POST OFFICE

The James Homestead and Post Office are an important part of Lake Worth’s history before the birth of the city. In 1885, an African American couple, Samuel and Fannie James, were two of the first people to file a claim for a homestead in the area. Two white neighbors served as witnesses for the 187-acre purchase, an indication that Samuel and Fannie were widely respected in the entire community. Samuel, a carpenter, built the couple’s first home. In 1889, Fannie applied to designate their store as a post office, and listed the name of the community as Jewell. Fannie served as postmaster and received mail deliveries by boat. When the Florida East Coast Railway was finished between West Palm Beach and Miami, mail deliveries came by train; Fannie moved the post office to another piece of their property near the tracks. Fannie sold most of her property in 1910 to Palm Beach Farms Company, and only retained the lot where the house was located. The sale records indicate that the James home/post office was located within 100 feet of the current South Bryant Park Picnic Pavilion. As prominent early settlers of the area, the James Family was important in both Lake Worth and African American history in Florida.