By: Anne Denby Michael (Mrs. Joe w. Michael)
In Indian River County, the barrier island east of the mainland is named Orchid Island. On Orchid Island there are three municipalities: Town of Orchid, Indian River Shores and Vero Beach. Orchid Island begins, on the north, at the Sebastian Inlet and extends over 20 miles to the south as far as the Indian River County line, between the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean. Orchid Island is also named on the U.S. Board of Geographic Names.
From Wikipedia: "Signs at each county line and at the foot of each bridge from the mainland, welcome the visitor to Orchid Island". There are four bridges leading to Orchid Island: Robert Graves Bridge / Sebastian Inlet Bridge, A.B. Michael Bridge Memorial Highway / Wabasso Bridge, Barber Bridge, and Alma Lee Loy Bridge / 17th Street Bridge.
Captain Frank Forster, a pioneer around the early 1880's to this north county/Orchid Island area, (then Brevard County, to become St. Lucie County and now Indian River County), named the island and the area, Community of Orchid, for the wild orchids (Epidendrum tampese/ currently called Encyclia tampensis) that grew on the live oak trees. In the past 40 or so years, developers have removed many of the live oaks and hence the demise of most of the wild orchids. The pioneers kenw it was called Orchid Island and the name has endured all this time. However, more recently, residents, realtors, and the news media have failed to acknowledge the historic name and have begun to refer to it as "Barrier Island". It is a barrier island but the island has a distinctive, beautiful and historic name. Can't we have the historic name remembered by the general public? The historic name was revived in the mid-1980's but has come to disuse in more recent years.
On Orchid Island are the following developments, from north to south: Windsor Club, Sanderling, Summerplace, Orchid Island Club, Old Orchid, Seasons, Coralstone, Disney Vero Beach Resort (on Wabasso Beach), Indian Trails, Bermuda Club, The Shores, Marbrisa, Ocean Pearl, Estury, John's Island Club, Robles del Mar, PPebble Bay, Riomar, Castaway Cove, Seagrove, The Moorings Club, and many many others.
The entire Orchid Island has the U.S. zip code of 32963. However, there are also, two islands in the Indian River, immediately north and south of SR 510, which are in 32963 posrtal designation. Wabasso Island, on which are located Marsh Island, a gated residential development, the Environmental Learning Center, and Pine Island (immediately south of Wabasso Island) on which is located Orchid Isle Estates residential development. All of those have the postal code 32963 designation. Mentioned islands are not connected to Orchid Island and re located due west of it.
There are many other smaller islands in Indian River County. One of the greatest importance is Pelican Island, due east of Sebastian. This was the first National Wildlife Refuge, so designated in 1903, by President Theodore Roosevelt. The Pelican Island Refuge is on the north end of Jungle Trail, located West of the parallel to A-1-A, also on Orchid Island. There are other smaller, named and unnamed islands that are inhabited.
* not islands, but of historic interest on Orchid Islands are the Sebastian Inlet Museum and McLarty Museum, west of and east of A-1-A, respectively.
In 1986, Ruth Stanbridge, Indian River County Historian, prepared and submitted to the United States Geological Survey at the request of Indian River County, an historic narrative on Indian River County'd barrier island, Orchid Island Orchid Island was accepted by the Geological Survey Review Board as the official name. Orchid Island was placed on the U.S. List of Geographic Names in 1985.
In 1992, Mrs. Stanbridge wrote a proposal for Orchid Island/Jungle Trail Land Acquisition Committee, that would protect the environmentally sensitive and historically significant properties that would buffer the nation's first national wildlife refugee: Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge and Indian River County's Jungle Trail.
This writer has lived in Indian River County for 73 years, but her late husnamd, Joe W. Michael's father, A.B. Michaels and grandfather, Stephen Kelita Michael settled here in the Community of Orchid on Orchid Island in September of 1887. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth generations of the Michael family are living here on Orchid Island to this day, south of A.B. Michael Bridge Memorial Highway/ Wabasso Bridge. When Stephen K. Michael, his wife abd their 7 children arrived in September 1887, there were no bridges across the Indian River north or south of here for many, many miles.
In Indian River County, as residents and visitors leave Florida mainland to drive east across the bridges over the Indian River, there are signs on the right side of those bridges. They do not say, "Entering Barrier Island"! Those signs do state "Entering Orchid Island"! Yes, just shy of 40 year old Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club, well known and listed upscale community, is located on Orchid Island.
History is history! Orchid Island, Indian River County's barrier island is still Orchid Island. Please help remind residents, visitors, realtors, and newsmen alike, and others, about the history of Orchid Island. Be aware of local historical facts. Many other barrier islands are called by their historic names, why not Orchid Island?