Editing Vero Beach, Florida (section)

==History==
[[File:Florida - Valparaison through West Palm Beach - NARA - 23936855 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Vero Beach, 1932]]

===Pre-Columbian===

{{See also|Vero man}}
Parts of a human skeleton were found north of Vero in association with the remains of [[Pleistocene]] animals in 1915. The find was controversial, and the view that the human remains dated from much later than the Pleistocene prevailed for many years.<ref>{{cite conference|url=https://www.academia.edu/1435978|title=The Vero and Melbourne Discoveries: Scientific Controversy in the Early Twentieth Century|last1=Mitchem|first1=Jeffery M.|date=2006|conference=58th Annual Meeting of the Florida Anthropological Society|access-date=May 8, 2019|pages=1–3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508194013/https://www.academia.edu/1435978/The_Vero_and_Melbourne_Discoveries_Scientific_Controversy_in_the_Early_Twentieth_Century|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, an image of a mastodon or mammoth carved on a bone was found in vicinity of the Vero man discovery. A scientific forensic examination of the bone found the carving had probably been done in the Pleistocene.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Purdy|first1=Barbara A. |last2=Jones |first2=Kevin S. |last3=Mecholsky |first3=Gerald Bourne |last4=Hurlbert Jr. |first4=Richard C. |last5=MacFadden |first5=Bruce J. |author-link5=Bruce MacFadden |last6=Church |first6=Krista L. |last7=Warren |first7=Michael W. |last8=Jorstad |first8=Thomas F. |last9=Stanford |first9=Dennis J. |last10=Wachowiak |first10=Melvin J. |last11=Speakman |first11=Robert J.|title=Earliest Art in the Americas: incised image of a proboscidean on a mineralized extinct animal bone from Vero Beach, Florida|journal=[[Journal of Archaeological Science]]|date=November 2011|volume=38|issue=11|pages=2908–2913|doi=10.1016/j.jas.2011.05.022}}</ref> Archaeologists from [[Mercyhurst University]], in conjunction with the Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee (OVIASC), conducted excavations at the Old Vero Man site in Vero Beach in 2014–2015.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://archive.tcpalm.com/news/indian-river-county/mercyhurst-university-pulls-out-of-old-vero-man-site-excavations-24aa0773-21c8-5a74-e053-0100007fb3b-352318471.html|title=Mercyhurst University pulls out of Old Vero Man site excavations|last=Begley|first=Janet|date=November 20, 2015|work=TCPalm|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508152845/http://archive.tcpalm.com/news/indian-river-county/mercyhurst-university-pulls-out-of-old-vero-man-site-excavations-24aa0773-21c8-5a74-e053-0100007fb3b-352318471.html|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Starting in 2016, archaeologists from [[Florida Atlantic University]] joined the Old Vero Man site excavations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oviasc.org/Partnership-With-FAU.html|title=Partnership-FAU/Harbor Branch|website=Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508152846/http://www.oviasc.org/Partnership-With-FAU.html|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Post-Columbian===
In 1715, a [[1715 Treasure Fleet|Spanish treasure fleet]] wrecked off the coast of Vero. Eleven out of twelve Spanish ships carrying tonnes of silver foundered in a hurricane. The remains of the silver attracted pirates. A group of 300 unemployed English [[privateer]]s led by [[Henry Jennings]] stole about £87,500 in gold and silver in their first acts of [[piracy]]. The coins still wash to the shore to this day.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smalls |first1=C. Isaiah |title=He was searching a Florida beach for treasure. What he found predated the United States. |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article240842381.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226012050/https://news.yahoo.com/searching-florida-beach-treasure-found-230629680.html |archive-date=February 26, 2024 |website=[[Miami Herald]] |via=[[Yahoo News]] |publisher=Miami Herald |access-date=November 3, 2022}}</ref>

In 1872, Captain Allen W. Estes officially established the first land patent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon, after settling in the area in 1870.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

In 1893, [[Henry Flagler]]’s [[Florida East Coast Railway]] began operation through the area.<ref name=BriefHistory />

The town of Vero was chartered on June 10, 1919,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.verobeach100.org/history.htm|title=Vero Beach 100 History|work=Vero Beach Centennial|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508141421/http://www.verobeach100.org/history.htm|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tcpalm.com/story/specialty-publications/vero-beach/2018/02/28/vero-beach-celebrate-centennial-year-long-bash/354560002/|title=Vero Beach to celebrate centennial with year-long bash|date=February 28, 2018|work=TCPalm|access-date=May 8, 2019|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508144433/https://www.tcpalm.com/story/specialty-publications/vero-beach/2018/02/28/vero-beach-celebrate-centennial-year-long-bash/354560002/|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> with a population of 71 residents.<ref name="Sleepy little town">{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Elliott |title=Centennial: Sleepy little town of Vero tiptoes into wide-awake city |url=https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/verobeachcentennial/2019/01/09/sleepy-town-vero-becomes-city/791935002/ |access-date=21 January 2024 |work=[[Treasure Coast Palm]] |date=January 9, 2019}}</ref>

Vero was officially renamed "Vero Beach" and was switched from being part of [[St. Lucie County]] to becoming the [[county seat]] of [[Indian River County]] upon its formation on May 19, 1925.<ref name=Cooper>{{Cite news|url=http://www.verobeach100.org/index_htm_files/Where%20did%20Vero%20Beach%20get%20its%20name%20-%20MC6965.pdf|title=Where did Vero Beach get its name?|last=Cooper|first=Pamela J.|year=2019|work=Vero Beach Centennial|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508141632/http://www.verobeach100.org/index_htm_files/Where%20did%20Vero%20Beach%20get%20its%20name%20-%20MC6965.pdf|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live }}</ref> There are many theories on possible origin of the city name, but there's no consensus.<ref name=Cooper /> Early residential construction in the area often utilized [[Florida cracker architecture]] style.<ref>{{cite report|title=Historic Properties Survey of Vero Beach, FL|date=November 1990|publisher=City of Vero Beach|page=27|url=https://www.covb.org/DocumentCenter/View/487/Historic-Properties-Survey-of-Vero-Beach-FL---1990-PDF-|access-date=December 19, 2021|format=PDF}}</ref>

During the war year of 1942, the U.S. Navy selected {{convert|1500|acre|km2}} surrounding the Vero Beach Municipal Airport as the site of Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base, a Naval Air Station. Due to the bombing practices conducted during the WWII, there are many buried explosives and the Army Corps officials have conducted ongoing search & clearing exercises for the potentially dangerous items since 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://veronews.com/2019/05/06/munitions-search-scheduled-for-wednesday-at-south-beach-park/|title=Munitions search scheduled for Wednesday at South Beach Park – Vero News|website=veronews.com|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508141422/http://veronews.com/2019/05/06/munitions-search-scheduled-for-wednesday-at-south-beach-park/|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-county/2019/05/07/south-beach-park-vero-beach-close-crews-search-buried-wwii-explosives/1127589001/|title=Parts of South Beach Park in Vero Beach closed during search for buried WWII explosives|website=TCPalm|language=en|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507195020/https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-county/2019/05/07/south-beach-park-vero-beach-close-crews-search-buried-wwii-explosives/1127589001/|archive-date=May 7, 2019|url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1951, Barber Bridge was built from mainland to barrier islands. It was later demolished and replaced in 1995 with the [[Merrill P. Barber Bridge]]. It is named after [[Merrill P. Barber]] who was the mayor of Vero beach in 1947.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianriverguardian.com/2019/04/01/history-of-veros-bridges-immortalized-with-marker/|title=History of Vero's bridges immortalized with marker|last=Thomas|first=Milt|date=April 1, 2019|website=Indian River Guardian|language=en|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508141421/https://indianriverguardian.com/2019/04/01/history-of-veros-bridges-immortalized-with-marker/|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1957, [[Piper Aircraft]] began research and development in Vero Beach. In 1961 Piper Aircraft moved administrative and manufacturing operations to Vero after completing building additions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.piper.com/history/|title=History|website=Piper|language=en-US|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508141421/https://www.piper.com/history/|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1965, the [[Sebastian Inlet Bridge|A1A bridge]] over the [[Sebastian Inlet]] connected the two barrier islands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://messiahnj.org/vero.htm|title=Vero Beach Florida History and Photos|website=messiahnj.org|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514215359/http://messiahnj.org/vero.htm|archive-date=May 14, 2019|url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=BriefHistory>{{Cite web|url=https://verobeach.com/vero-beach-community/a-brief-history-of-vero-beach-sebastian-fellsmere-indian-river-county|title=A Brief History of Vero Beach, Sebastian, Fellsmere & Indian River County|website=verobeach.com|access-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508141422/https://verobeach.com/vero-beach-community/a-brief-history-of-vero-beach-sebastian-fellsmere-indian-river-county|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live }}</ref> In 1979, the [[17th Street Bridge]] was completed, allowing a second point of access from Vero Beach mainland to the barrier islands.