When I think of Florida, images of historical homes and areas of historic significance are not what first pop into my mind. Normally, I picture warm beaches, overdeveloped land, and tropical weather. However, when we visited my grandma last month, she brought us to a old house (on a hill!) in Jupiter, Florida.
As I mentioned, what first stands out is the fact that the building is perched upon a tiny hill, just bigger than itself. Being a rarity in Florida, it came as no surprise that this one was manmade as well. Unlike most hills though, this one, called a midden, is made completely from shells! The Florida natives constructed it thousands of years before the Dubois family, and though grass grows over the top now, you can still see shells spilling from the sides.
Shells at the base of the midden. 
The original area covered by the midden (in red). 
The house on top of the midden.
But not only is the location interesting, the family who lived there was not very typical. They were pioneers, too, just not out in the Midwestern plains. The house was built by a man named Harry Dubois in 1898 for his new bride, Susan Sanders. Harry grew up in New Jersey, but started spending the summers in Florida when he was 16. Then he met Susan in Jupiter where he’d been serving on the local lifesaving station’s crew. When he asked her where she wanted to live after they were married, she said on a hill. Since the shell midden was the highest ground around, Harry claimed it as their new home. At the time, it was Floridian wilderness, right up against the Jupiter Inlet.
They raised four children there: John, Henry, Anna, and Niel. When the children were old enough for school, they took a schoolboat to the local schoolhouse. The children also helped out with the many projects the Dubois took on. As a self-sufficient family, fishing and hunting possums and raccoons were common occurrences. In 1910, Harry used lumber from the old life-saving station nearby to construct over 600 beehives! He had decided to try beekeeping, and it went very well for him. Renting out his bees to farmers, one year Harry made 90,000 lbs of honey.
When the Dubois sons grew up, they took on different aspects of the family business. Niel handled the bees, and John the fishing. Henry carried on the agriculture ventures, including growing and selling ferns.
The year 1924 marked the death of Harry, and Susan moved out to West Palm to live with her father. Then in the 1927 and ’28 came two hurricanes followed by the Great Depression. The family decided to rent their house out to make some money, and renters lived in it until Susan sold the house in 1954.
1891 clock. 
Stove from 1937. 
Dade County Pine flooring paint remnant. 
Bedroom with period clothing. 
Plaque on house’s front.
As an interesting side note, the flooring is all made from Dade County Pine. These special pines were all cut down, as they become extremely hard and durable for use in buildings. No nails were used in the construction of the floors, only wooden pegs. Later on, some of the floors needed to be replaced, and more of the pine was salvaged from an old bank. The carpenters on the job complained that the wood ate away at their saws like no other wood.
Another unusual event that this park boasts is the shipwreck of John Dickenson and his crew. It’s believed that the land where the Dubois house sits is the site of this 1698 tragedy. All of the ship’s occupants survived, making it to shore only to be stripped and starved by natives holding them atop the midden. Tragically, these native groups later died out because of diseases from Spanish explorers. They were replaced by more northern tribes, such as the Seminoles in the 1700 and 1800’s. Today, a cannon from Dickenson’s ship is displayed at the midden’s foot. In addition, archaeology digs at the midden have revealed rare beads, along with other intriguing native artifacts.
Native artifacts. 
Cannon from 1698 Shipwreck.
Regarding its time as a museum, the Dubois Pioneer Home was opened for tourism in the 1990’s, but closed again after hurricanes caused damage to the building. In 2016, the museum reopened and is run by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation. If you find yourself headed down south for some vacation time, take an hour to go learn some of Florida’s history. It might surprise you!
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