Frank Coventry and son John, 1924

Franklin Coventry (1891–1926) and John F. Coventry (1918–1984) seated on bench. The Coventry family owned and operated the Coventry Hotel, built 1914, and the Coventry apartments, built in 1922. Frank Coventry was the proprietor of the hotel until 1917. In 1915, Frank was in his car outside the Stuart Bank at the corner of St. Lucie Avenue and Osceola Street when the Ashley Gang robbed the bank, and commandeered his car and his services as a driver. In 1917, Frank opened a ferry service between Jensen Beach (then Gosling) and Stuart. The ferry served as many as 500 cars a month until the auto bridge opened in January 1918. Frank then worked for the Pure Oil Company as a fuel dealer for gas stations. During the 1920s, prohibition-era, Frank was involved in "bootlegging" activities, and was arrested and fined several times. In 1924, he was shot by Jesse Quinn, another bootlegger, recovered, but was then killed by Quinn in 1926.

Scan gift of Merrie Lee Axtell Reece via Sandra Thurlow.

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Black and white print; 2.25x3.9 inches

English

Still image

Thurlow-2023-017-2-011

2023.017

Photographic print