INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The murky, mixed-up beginnings of the St. John’s River, Florida’s longest, lie in western Indian River County. On Friday March 2, the Indian River County Historical Society will explore the unique mix of human and natural history in the headwaters of this great river.
The program will feature the documentary film, “River to the New World,” followed by a conversation among several long-time county residents who are intimately familiar with the marshlands at the river’s head.
One of just a handful of American rivers that flows north, the St. John’s of Florida travels 310 miles from the wetlands of western Indian River County to its mouth at Jacksonville.
Named the River of May by the French and Rio de San Juan del Puerto by Spanish missionaries, the river is tightly knit to the prehistory of the peninsula and to its settlement and development in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The program will be held at the Vero Beach Women’s Club, 1534 21st St., beginning at 7 p.m.
The film “River to the New World” will be shown first. Then, several lifelong residents of the area will share their memories of the river and engage the audience in conversation about its significance in local history.
Refreshments will be served after the program.
Tickets are available at the Indian River County Historical Office at the historic Vero Beach Train Station or at the door. Tickets are $15 for members and $20 for non-members.
For more information or to reserve tickets, contact Vanessa Monto at (772) 778-3435, Hildie Tripson at (772) 562-6790 or visit the website at www.IndianRiverHisto@bellsouth.net.