Landmarks Bear Names Worth Knowing

Here are the names behind some Treasure Coast landmarks:
Barley Barber (Barley Barber Swamp, Indiantown): Barber, a trapper, homesteaded the swamp in the early 1900s.
J.W. Corbett (J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, Martin and Palm Beach county line): Corbett, of Fort Pierce, was a charter member of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission in 1943 and chairman in 1948.
John G. and Susan H. DuPuis Jr. (DuPuis Reserve, western Palm Beach and Martin counties): The Miami-based dairy ranching family sold the land in 1986 for $23 million to the South Florida Water Management District with the stipulation it be kept natural.
Don Pedro Gilbert (Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge, Stuart): The reef off Hutchinson Island is named for a pirate who might have hidden in the St. Lucie Inlet between raids. He later was caught and was hanged in 1834.
Thomas B. Manuel (Thomas B. Manuel Bridge, at Florida’s Turnpike and St. Lucie Canal, Martin County): “Mr. Turnpike,” a Delray Beach farmer, Fort Lauderdale mayor and banking executive, persuaded state transportation officials to extend the turnpike to Miami instead of stopping at central
Martin County.
John Monahan (Big John Monahan Bridge, St. Lucie Canal and State Road 76, Indiantown): The Fort Lauderdale dry cleaner served on the state road board.
Col. William Herbert Murphy (Camp Murphy, now Jonathan Dickinson State Park, near Hobe Sound): The World War II training site was named for the Signal Corps officer and radio pioneer who died in battle Feb. 3, 1942.
Frank A. Wacha (Frank A. Wacha Bridge, also known as Jensen Beach Causeway): The longtime Martin County commissioner and commission chairman helped push for the bridge and causeways.

Tags: Camp Murphy, place names