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44-626: Established in 1856, the Florida Historical Society is dedicated to preserving Florida's past through the collection and archival maintenance of historical documents and photographs, the publication of scholarly research on Florida history, and educating the public. The society maintains an extensive archive at the Library of Florida History, publishes the Florida Historical Quarterly and books through

88-408: A frost in the city of Melbourne or at the ocean beaches. On Christmas Eve 2003, the city as others in east central coast of Florida received snow from the ocean effect , when cold air passes over the considerably hotter ocean and causes the rise of air with higher temperature to bring moisture into the higher portions of the atmosphere . Tropical flora typical of more southerly locations is grown in

132-750: A later stratum. In 1925 attention shifted to the Melbourne golf course. A crushed human skull with finger, arm, and leg bones was found in association with a horse tooth. A piece of ivory that appeared to have been modified by humans was found at the bottom of the stratum containing bones. Other finds included a spear point near a mastodon bone and a turtle-back scraper and blade found with bear, camel, mastodon, horse, and tapir bones. Similar human remains, Pleistocene animals and Paleo-Indian artifacts were found in Vero Beach , 30 miles (48 km) south of Melbourne, and similar Paleo-Indian artifacts were found at

176-431: A public pier, Historic Rossetter House and Gardens, Pineapple Park, a few businesses over 40 years old, and a community park and band shell, which is the center of many community activities. It is now a non-accredited main street program. A $ 180.8 million Operating and Capital Budget was passed for the 2014–2015 fiscal year. In 2007, the city had a taxable real estate base of $ 4.96 billion. A 2011 study rated

220-624: A range of professional historians, graduate students, among others, who have been selected to present through a juried process. The public history forum also features presentations and panels on Florida history, and often includes a tour of local historic sites, museums, and archives. In addition, the Historical Society also presents a weekly, half-hour radio magazine entitled the Florida Frontiers, which covers Florida history, heritage, and cultural tourism opportunities across

264-439: A separate political entity. Melbourne, Florida has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), bordering closely to a tropical savanna climate ( Aw ). Melbourne has a distinctly seasonal precipitation pattern, with a hot and wet season (late May through October) and a warm and dry season (November through April). The climate is strongly influenced by the nearby Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Stream, as well as incursions of cold fronts from

308-607: Is a city in Brevard County, Florida , United States. It is located 72 miles (116 km) southeast of Orlando and 175 miles (282 km) northwest of Miami . It had population of 84,678 at the 2020 United States Decennial Census, up from 76,068 at the 2010 census. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . In 1969,

352-487: Is land and 5.7 square miles (14.8 km ) (14.42%) is water. The east–west street named Brevard Drive was historically the "center" of town; with addresses called "north" and "south" of this street. The north–south Babcock Street provided the same centerline for "east" and "west" directions. Melbourne Beachside has a small presence on the South Beaches barrier island. It is often confused with Melbourne Beach ,

396-618: Is most recent step in an effort to revitalize this area. In 2010, the Eau Gallie Arts District received its designation as a Florida Main Street. Established in 1860 along the Indian River, the arts district (called EGAD!) has proven to be highly successful in its redevelopment of the community of art galleries, shops, restaurants, Melbourne's first microbrewery, and contains the city civic center and public library with

440-806: The Florida Historical Society Press , manages the Historic Rossetter House Museum and Gardens , and operates the Florida Historical Society Archaeological Institute at the Brevard Museum of History and Natural Science . FHS Press books are available online or through a book distributor. Authors can also submit manuscripts to the FHS Press through their website. FHS asks for authors to follow

484-742: The Helen Blazes archaeological site , 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Melbourne. The first settlers arrived after 1877. They included Richard W. Goode, his father John Goode, Cornthwaite John Hector , Captain Peter Wright, Balaam Allen, Wright Brothers, and Thomas Mason. Three of these men, Wright, Allen, and Brothers were black freedmen. The city, formerly called "Crane Creek", was named Melbourne in honor of its first postmaster, Cornthwaite John Hector , an Englishman who had spent much of his life in Melbourne , Victoria , Australia (which

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528-719: The Orlando-Melbourne International Airport drawing a crowd of approximately 9,000 people according to the Melbourne police department. Melbourne is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Orlando on the Space Coast , along Interstate 95 . It is approximately midway between Jacksonville and Miami . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 39.6 square miles (102.5 km ), of which 33.9 square miles (87.7 km )

572-681: The William P. Roesch House (1901), and the Houston Family Memorial Cemetery (1865). The museum is owned by The Rossetter House Foundation, Inc. and managed by the Florida Historical Society . The museum includes antiques and exhibits that explore local history. This Florida museum–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Melbourne, Florida Melbourne ( / ˈ m ɛ l b ər n / MEL -bərn )

616-786: The Work Projects Administration , in Historic Cocoa Village, in Brevard County, Florida . Henry Flagler , the American industrialist and railway magnate, donated one of the first books to the Library of Florida History's collection: a 1605 first edition of the book La Florida del Inca and the Struggle for Equality in Colonial Spanish America written by a Peruvian named Garcilaso de la Vega . La Florida del Inca chronicles

660-487: The 1920s. C. P. Singleton, a Harvard University zoologist , discovered the bones of a mammoth ( Mammuthus columbi ) on his property along Crane Creek , 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Melbourne, and brought in Amherst College paleontologist Frederick B. Loomis to excavate the skeleton. Loomis found a second elephant, with a "large rough flint instrument" among fragments of the elephant's ribs. Loomis found in

704-528: The FHS Press guidelines before making a submission. The Florida Historical Society collects, preserves and publishes materials relating to the history of Florida and its denizens. After being reorganized in 2002, the Society began annual meetings to provide a forum for professional historians, and others interested in Florida History. People also have the option to become members of FHS. Since 1905,

748-725: The FHS website or through YouTube. Topics cover historical events, historical figures, archaeological discoveries, Florida cultural heritage institutions, and much more. Guests include historians, archaeologists, architects, and various other subject experts. Articles from the Florida Frontiers blog are published in Florida Today and can be found at the FHS website. Articles provide a wealth of knowledge about numerous topics related to Florida history. FHSAI initiatives include releasing publications, giving talks, and discussing

792-951: The Florida expedition of Hernando de Soto , a Spanish conquistador and explorer. The Florida  Historical Society hosts two major conferences each year: the Florida Historical Society Annual Meeting and Symposium, which is held every October on the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando, as well as the Florida Historical Society Public History Forum, which is held in May at various locations across Florida. The annual meeting and symposium features academic paper presentations and panel discussions from

836-681: The Library of Florida History's manuscripts. Volunteers can also help at the Rossetter House Museum and Gardens. Interns can help with archiving or the radio program. The first collection was housed in the Cordova Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida before moving to Jacksonville , Gainesville , Tampa , and currently located in Cocoa, Florida since 1997. The library is housed in a 1939 historic United States post office, constructed by

880-553: The Melbourne area (coconut palms, royal palms, Christmas palms , and bananas), but can be damaged or killed when subjected to infrequent light freezes or cooler temperatures, although several years might pass without a freeze in the Melbourne area. The Melbourne area has many lush gardens and public landscapes, and is noted for the botanical northern limit of cultivated coconut palms on the Florida East Coast. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has ordered

924-494: The average size of Melbourne's labor force was 39,391. Of that group, 37,708 were employed and 1,683 were unemployed, for an unemployment rate of 4.3%. In 2008, 259 building permits were issued for 263 units. There were 209 permits issued for 320 units in 2007, which was down from 329 permits for 512 units in 2006. The median home price in 2007 was $ 215,000. In May 2005, the Melbourne– Titusville – Palm Bay area

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968-527: The city received a record 9.06 inches (230 mm) of rainfall from Hurricane Erin . During the week of August 22, 2008, a record 17.54 inches (446 mm) of rain fell caused by Tropical Storm Fay . A 2009 Halloween street party sponsored by a downtown restaurant attracted an estimated 8,000–10,000 people. This overwhelmed the downtown area. Street parties were curtailed until public safety issues were addressed. On February 18, 2017, president Donald J. Trump held his first post-inauguration rally at

1012-546: The city to reduce pollution of the Indian River Lagoon , which it borders; about 80% of the city's landmass drains in the direction of the lagoon. The city must reduce run-off by 44,000 pounds (20,000 kg) of nitrogen and 13,000 pounds (5,900 kg) of phosphorus. The city responded by banning the use of fertilizer before flood and storm warnings. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 84,678 people, 32,874 households, and 18,242 families residing in

1056-588: The city was $ 19,175. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $ 34,571, and the median income for a family was $ 42,760. Males had a median income of $ 32,242 versus $ 22,419 for females. In Melbourne, about 8.6% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over. As of 2000, 90.39% of residents spoke English as their first language , while 4.69% spoke Spanish , 0.84% spoke French , 0.73% spoke German , and 0.55% spoke Arabic as their mother tongue . In total, 9.60% of

1100-491: The city was expanded by merging with nearby Eau Gallie . The city is also home to the National Weather Service office that serves East Central Florida including the cities of Orlando, Kissimmee , Sanford , Deltona , Daytona Beach , Cape Canaveral , Port St Lucie and Stuart . Evidence for the presence of Paleo-Indians in the Melbourne area during the late Pleistocene epoch was uncovered during

1144-431: The city. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 76,068 people, 33,377 households, and 18,394 families residing in the city. As of 2000, 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who

1188-531: The general pension fund for city employees highly at 190%. Less favorably rated were the pension plans for fire and police employees. In 2009, the city had 870 full-time employees and 176 part-time employees. Melbourne Orlando International Airport is located near the center of the city. Melbourne contains defense and technology companies with a high concentration of high-tech workers. The following corporations have operations in Melbourne: In 2007,

1232-541: The land that was used for that program makes up most of what is currently the Melbourne Orlando International Airport . In 1969, the cities of Eau Gallie and Melbourne voted to merge, forming modern-day Melbourne. In the 1950s, Babcock Street was extended north to intersect with US 1. The Melbourne Shopping Center was constructed on Babcock, the area's first strip mall . Consumers were sufficiently attracted to this new mall, that

1276-916: The latest archaeological discoveries on FHS's programs. FHS has also been publishing the FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine since 2016 and it is released annually. The magazine can be accessed at their website. Florida Frontiers is sponsored by the Division of Historical Resources, Florida's Space Coast Office of Tourism, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and the Rossetter House Foundation. The Florida Historical Society also coordinates educational outreach projects and programs, which include active participation in events and festivals throughout

1320-437: The library. Finding guides provide information about their manuscripts such as their scope and content, organization, provenance, restrictions, subject headings, and much more. An incomplete list of their manuscript holdings is available at their website. Currently, in-person research at the library is by appointment only. This gives the archivist the opportunity to pull the requested material for you. Appointments can be made over

1364-549: The north in winter months. Melbourne averages 51 inches (1,300 mm) of rainfall annually, much of it coming in convective thunderstorms in the late May to early October time period. The record rainfall occurred on August 20, 2008, when Tropical Storm Fay dropped 18.21 inches (463 mm). Melbourne can sometimes have moderate to severe drought conditions from late fall through spring, with brush fires occurring and water restrictions put in place. Melbourne averages 2 days per year with frost, although several years might pass without

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1408-601: The phone or by email. Researchers are asked to provide their area of research and when they would like to come in. The library also houses the original copies of the Florida State Genealogical Society's Pioneer Descendant certificate program applications which can be accessed by appointment. Normal operating hours are Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. FHS offers various opportunities for volunteers and interns. Volunteers can help with cataloging and creating finding guides for

1452-479: The same stratum mammoth, mastodon , horse, ground sloth , tapir , peccary , camel , and saber-tooth cat bones, all extinct in Florida since the end of the Pleistocene 10,000–8,000 BCE. At a nearby site a human rib and charcoal were found in association with Mylodon , Megalonyx , and Chlamytherium (ground sloth) teeth. A finely worked spear point found with these items may have been displaced from

1496-466: The size of Melbourne. Streetlights were gradually added until, by the early 1960s, streets east of Babcock Street had lights. Lights were added to streets west of Babcock after the early 1960s. In 1969, the city elected Julius Montgomery , its first black councilman. Montgomery was also the first African American student of Brevard Engineering College, later Florida Institute of Technology which named their Pioneer Award after him. On August 2, 1995,

1540-569: The society has maintained the Library of Florida History . The general collection houses over 8,000 bound volumes, many rare manuscripts and postcards, over 1,000 early Florida maps and early colonial period (1500-1800) maps, soil surveys, and over 10,000 photographs of old Florida. There is an online catalog that may be used to search the collection. The FHS catalog is made available through PastPerfectOnline. There are some finding guides created by volunteers that are available for manuscripts housed at

1584-514: The state, frequent public talks on a variety of subjects, workshops for teachers and students, history-based theatrical presentations, exhibits, and much more. Historic Rossetter House Museum The Historic Rossetter House Museum is located at 1320 Highland Avenue, Melbourne , Florida in the historic section of Eau Gallie . The museum consists of the James Wadsworth Rossetter House and Gardens (1908),

1628-486: The state. FHS has been airing their radio program since 2009. Patrons can access the radio program both through the Historical Society website, broadcast on radio stations across the state, or through iTunes and other podcasting apps. Episodes on their website are tagged by subject so users can easily locate them. FHS also produces the Florida Frontiers TV show. Previously aired episodes can be accessed on

1672-574: The total population spoke languages other than English. The Melbourne City Council consists of the mayor and six district council members. Melbourne uses a Council-Manager form of government . City officials The following are appointed by the council: Melbourne city officials created the Babcock Street Redevelopment District in 1998 to stimulate new development along Babcock Street from U.S. 1 south to U.S. 192 . A 218-unit apartment complex built in 2005

1716-586: The traditional downtown, off New Haven, suffered. Urban blight was successfully mitigated in the 1980s. A board was created by the legislature to spend a 10% tax on electric bills. This was used by the Melbourne Civic Improvement Board to build the Melbourne Auditorium, the first library and fire station, and various parks. The board was dissolved when Melbourne was merged with Eau Gallie in 1969. That merger doubled

1760-466: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82. In 2000, the city the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. As of 2000, per capita income for

1804-470: Was among the top 20 in home price appreciation from 2003 to 2004. In 2009, Forbes ranked the area 18th out of 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and first out of 8 metros in Florida for affordable housing, and short commute times, among others. Melbourne has two downtown business districts, a result of the merger of Eau Gallie into Melbourne: The city has three hospitals, day care for senior citizens, hospice, walk-in, and urgent care facilities. There

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1848-487: Was founded in 1885 and is still active. In the late 1890s, the Brownlie-Maxwell Funeral Home opened and it is still in business. The oldest black-owned business in the county is Tucker's Cut-Rate plumbing. It opened in 1934. In the early 1900s, houses were often built in the frame vernacular style. In 1919, a fire destroyed most of the original downtown along Front Street. At the time, it

1892-562: Was in turn named after the British Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne ). He is buried in the Melbourne Cemetery , along with many early residents in the area. The first school in Melbourne was built in 1883 and is on permanent exhibit on the campus of Florida Institute of Technology . By 1885, the town had 70 people. The Greater Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

1936-621: Was rebuilt west of US Hwy 1. During the Jim Crow years, black people were required to enter movie theaters via a different entrance from whites and sit in the balcony. Gas stations had signs for rest rooms labeled "Men", "Women", and "Colored." This persisted until integration in the late 1960s. In late 1942 the Naval Air Station Melbourne was established as a site to train newly commissioned Navy and Marine pilots for World War II . The program ran until 1946, and

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