Homestead, FL was originally the home of Native Americans, pirates, and gun smugglers. When the Panama Canal was built, commerce opened with our neighbors to the south and everything began to change. From 1898, when homesteading was opened, until 1912, there was only one way in or out of the area. That way was the Homesteader's trail. In 1902, Henry Flagler started to change the landscape by ordering the building of the Overseas Railroad. Mr. Flagler had first built his fortune in Standard Oil and then had turned his interest to Florida real estate at the promptings of his wives. Mr. Flagler had first developed railroads to the area of the north. He was instrumental in the founding of Palm Beach and Miami. After a hard freeze, which destroyed the agricultural crops, he became interested in developing the area because of freezes did not go this far south and because of the Panama Canal. In 1902, he hired William J. Krome to survey the best route from Miami to Key West. In late 1903 the extension was started from Cutler to Homestead. Mr. Fletcher never saw much of the development of the area as he fell down the stairs of his home in Palm Beach, dying on May 20, 1913, as a result of the fall.
Residents needing health care today should consult the Homestead, FL yellow pages. Homestead flourished like other nearby communities during the 1920s as northerners wanted to move south for the warmer climate. Later, he extended his railroad from Homestead to Key West, and the Overseas Railroad was completed in 1912. Homestead's major source of income at that time was agriculture, with the harvest of winter vegetables and tropical fruits being shipped across the country. Due to its strategic location, the Homestead area prospered with the Florida real estate boom in the early 1920s. On Labor Day 1935, the railroad was heavily damaged by a hurricane and the company did not have the finances to rebuild the tracks. They finally gave it to the State of Florida and much of it forms the path of the Overseas Highway still used today. Residents looking for gas to make that trip today should consult the Homestead, FL business directory.July and August are normally the hottest month in Homestead, FL with an average daily high of 90 degrees. The coldest months are January and February with an average daily high of 77 degrees. The wettest month is normally August with just over 9 inches of rain on the average.
Written by Lyndsey Morgan
