History of the City of Merritt Island, Florida

Merritt Island owes its name to the generosity of the King of Spain.  The island was included in a land grant given by the king to a nobleman named Merritt.  Merritt Island’s more recent history dates back into the mid-19th century and centers on the growth of citrus, stressing the cultivation of pineapples and oranges. The Indian River oranges and grapefruit come from this sandy area.

In 1822, Florida officially became a territory of the United States, and the booming citrus industry quickly developed.  One of the most notable groves was the Dummitt Grove, on Merritt Island, which made the Indian River famous for its production of premium quality fruit.  In fact, historians of the Florida citrus industry trace its beginnings to the grove that Captain D.D. Dummitt planted on Merritt Island in 1830.  Dummitt’s grove, believed to be the oldest in Florida, developed the famous Indian River citrus label that still enjoys a national reputation as a premium product.

Florida's Indian River area actually encompasses a tidal lagoon, two miles wide and 120 miles long, making it an ideal location for citrus crops.

The construction of railroads during the 1860s helped push forward the industry that Dummitt started.  The Island grew in the 1950s and 1960s as the Space Race began and nearby NASA exploded with job opportunities.  Construction of a barge canal to the Intracoastal Waterway from the Atlantic Ocean (for power plant oil shipments) cut off the northern half of the island for many years.  To this day, that section of Merritt Island remains slightly less developed with few areas remaining cattle pasture or citrus land.  The smaller towns on the island vanished with the coming of the Space Age, and now only live on in the names of streets and historic churches.