The Boston House (also known as Cresthaven) is a historic building in downtown

Fort Pierce Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Florida’s Atlantic Coast. It is also known as the Sunrise City. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. It is located at 239 South Indian River Drive ( County Road 707). On April 11, 1985, it was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. It is recognized for its unique mixture of Neo-classical and Georgian architecture. It is also recognized for its part in local history. On April 18, 2012, the

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Peñas de Aya, small mountain range in Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ...

's Florida Chapter placed the building on its list of ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places'' as Cresthaven/Boston House.

History

In the early 1900s, William T. Jones, who later became the third Sheriff of St. Lucie County, worked as an engineer for

Henry Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

on the

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...

. Jones suffered an injury in a railroad accident and received a settlement for his injury. With his settlement he built Cresthaven which is known today as The Boston House. Historical records show the cost of building the house was $6,000 and it wasn't completed until 1909. Some of the materials used to build the house were brought to Fort Pierce from Georgia by the FEC Railroad as Jones was a personal friend of Henry Flagler. Jones lost the house during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. The McCarty family, whose most famous member was

Dan McCarty Daniel Thomas McCarty (January 18, 1912 – September 28, 1953) was an American politician who served in the Florida House of Representatives and served as its speaker. He briefly served as the 31st Governor of Florida from January 6, 1953, un ...

, the thirty-first

governor of Florida The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state of Florida. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Government of Florida#Executive branch, executive branch of the government of Florida and is the comman ...

, bought the house in 1949, but didn't live in it. They preferred to stay across Boston Avenue in the family home built in 1905. That house was later known as The Governor's House until its demolition. The Boston House (Cresthaven) was restored in 1984–85 and is now a law firm's office. There are many myths surrounding the house's history.

References

External links

St. Lucie County listings
a
National Register of Historic Places

Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
*
St. Lucie County listings
*
Cresthaven
Fort Pierce, Florida Houses in St. Lucie County, Florida Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida National Register of Historic Places in St. Lucie County, Florida Houses completed in 1909 1909 establishments in Florida {{StLucieCountyFL-NRHP-stub