From 1877 until 1881, Fred and Byrd lived in Salem, Illinois living on College Street. They traveled by train to Florida in 1881, settling in Zellwood, Florida where they built a small cottage on their 20 acres.
From there they built a small cottage in Eustis. Because they were the first settlers on the street, the street was named Dewey Street, which remains in Eustis till this day.
They moved on to Jacksonville, where they lived downtown on Monroe Street, then later in East Jacksonville on Mattie Street.
The Deweys then moved to Palm Beach County (then part of Dade County) and built several houses, none of which survive to the present day.
The first home, tucked in the pine woods near Lake Mangonia, was named The Hermitage by Byrd because of its isolated location. The second home on Lake Worth, located about one mile south of West Palm Beach, was named Ben Trovato. The grand two-story home had many features including an octoganal tower. Their home in Boynton was also named Ben Trovato, and was a unique design with a deck.
The third Ben Trovato was a cottage in Palm Beach on Seabreeze Avenue.
In 1920, Byrd moved to the Winter Park/Orlando area where she lived in three different homes. Finally, she lived in South Jacksonville on Home Street, where she passed away in 1942.
Ben Trovato, West Palm Beach
Ben Trovato Floor Plan, Lower Floor
Ben Trovato Floor Plan, Upper Floor
The Dewey House in Boynton Beach, 1910
I recently purchased a copy of the book and am almost finished reading it. I am enjoying it immensely, being a history buff and having spent the last 41 years living in various places throughout Palm Beach County. I am very much interested to know if you were able to pinpoint the (more or less) precise locations of the Deweys’ various residences so that I could locate them on a modern map.
Thank you,
Eric