Walter Johns oral history interview transcription, 1961
Item
Title
Walter Johns oral history interview transcription, 1961
Description
Walter Orlando Johns (1894-1965) was interviewed on 19 March 1961 by Rush Hughes.
Walter Orlando Johns (1894-1965) is the son of Morris Raiford Johns (1867-1924) and May Parks Johns (1873-1959). Father Morris came to Stuart in 1891 and grew pineapples. He mentions that Carrol Dunscombe had travelled and found pineapples that would grow well here. While his father grew pineapples, Walter made $4 a day as a packer. Then his father opened a grocery store (1914-1918) and his mother ran a cafe, the Tarpon Cafe, with a Mrs. Bell.
Walter details his work history, including working as a pineapple packer as a youth and as a bookkeeper for C.C. Chillingworth of the Palm Beach County Land Company development of Palm City Farms. They sold a lot of land to "shop workers" (many Hungarians) in the north. For every ten acres purchased, you got a lot in Palm City. Many could not make the payments. He also ran a wholesale fish business before becoming a boat captain for W.H. Shepherd for twenty-two years and also running the funeral home business with his brother, which was started by his father in 1923. Started acquiring land in 1940.
He also offers some detail of life in Stuart from the early 1920s. Not much recreation in Stuart other than meeting the trains; there was an annual magic lantern show and occasional poor quality movies. May Day picnic was the only time they went to the ocean. Details the condition of the roads used to deliver groceries. Beef had to be special ordered. There was rum-running during prohibition. First physician he remembered was Dr. McClinton in Jenson. People used "mosquito bars" [nets] over their beds.
This transcription was made by Les Combs.
Walter Orlando Johns (1894-1965) is the son of Morris Raiford Johns (1867-1924) and May Parks Johns (1873-1959). Father Morris came to Stuart in 1891 and grew pineapples. He mentions that Carrol Dunscombe had travelled and found pineapples that would grow well here. While his father grew pineapples, Walter made $4 a day as a packer. Then his father opened a grocery store (1914-1918) and his mother ran a cafe, the Tarpon Cafe, with a Mrs. Bell.
Walter details his work history, including working as a pineapple packer as a youth and as a bookkeeper for C.C. Chillingworth of the Palm Beach County Land Company development of Palm City Farms. They sold a lot of land to "shop workers" (many Hungarians) in the north. For every ten acres purchased, you got a lot in Palm City. Many could not make the payments. He also ran a wholesale fish business before becoming a boat captain for W.H. Shepherd for twenty-two years and also running the funeral home business with his brother, which was started by his father in 1923. Started acquiring land in 1940.
He also offers some detail of life in Stuart from the early 1920s. Not much recreation in Stuart other than meeting the trains; there was an annual magic lantern show and occasional poor quality movies. May Day picnic was the only time they went to the ocean. Details the condition of the roads used to deliver groceries. Beef had to be special ordered. There was rum-running during prohibition. First physician he remembered was Dr. McClinton in Jenson. People used "mosquito bars" [nets] over their beds.
This transcription was made by Les Combs.
Source
Gift of Stuart Heritage Museum.
Contributor
Rights
No Copyright - In the United States: The Martin County Library System believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. For more information, visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Format
19 p.
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
2024.048
SHM 1990.14.01
2024-048-OH-walterjohns
Coverage
Citation
“Walter Johns oral history interview transcription, 1961,” Martin Digital History, accessed October 5, 2026, https://www.martindigitalhistory.org/items/show/11842.