Hobe Sound - Hutchinson Island - Jensen Beach - Jupiter Island - Palm City - Port Salerno - Sewall's Point - Stuart

About the Town:

Often characterized as an old fishing village, Port Salerno is located in between Martin County’s Hobe Sound and Stuart, about 35 miles north of West Palm Beach. The area is defined by the Manatee Pocket, which contains 13 marinas, 5 waterfront restaurants and 3 boat ramps. Known as a major boating and fishing center, Port Salerno is strategically situated where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian River and St. Lucie River on Florida’s Treasure Coast. The town of about 10,000 residents, which plays host to major sport fishing tournaments each year, is also the home of the internationally known Chapman School of Seamanship.

History:

Benjamin Mulford, a Minneapolis businessman, had big plans for the community we know as Port Salerno, when he bought the southern half of Hanson Grant in 1910.

He thought it would become a major seaport and railhead because it was close to the St. Lucie Inlet.

Henry Flagler had a flag stop for his railway in the area and named it Alicia, for his second wife. Mulford changed the name to Mulford and divided up his portion of the grant to the west in 10-acre lots. Each tract came with a town lot in Mulford.

Mulford built his home on the Manatee Pocket, about where Pirate's Cove Resort now stands, and sent salesmen out to hawk the wonders of the region.

Soon a railroad depot was built, a sure sign of growth for the little fishing and farming community, but with it came problems.

Conductors would call out the names of the stops as the train approached. One night, a woman thought the conductor had called out “Mumford,” a town further south, and got off the train into the dark and mosquitoes. Lawsuits were pending, so Mulford changed the name to Salerno, saying no one could mistake it for Salerno, Italy.

The name changed again in 1960, when the chamber of commerce added “Port” to the name, resurrecting Mulford’s hopes.

Always a fishing community, during World War II it was the site of the Borden Company’s “shark factory,” which made shark repellent.

Many marinas and boat yards also located there, and in 1966, many segments of the popular TV series “Gentle Ben,” starring Dennis Weaver, Vera Miles and Clint Howard, were filmed in the town.

Today, the little fishing community has become an upscale area with the Chastain Campus of Indian River State College, Martin Memorial Medical Center South, the Morgade Public Library and a diverse shopping area.

Fast Facts:

• Port Salerno was founded in 1910 by pioneer developer Benjamin Mulford.

• Port Salerno has been named Alicia, Aberdeen, Mulford, and Salerno.

• A shark factory was once located in Port Salerno.

• Over 18,000 people attended the Second Annual Port Salerno Seafood Festival in 2008.

• In 1919, there were seven wholesale fish houses in Port Salerno.

• The Annual Light Tackle Sailfish Tournament is one of the area's oldest fishing tournaments.

• Manatee Pocket is about two nautical miles from the St. Lucie Inlet.

• Chapman School of Seamanship, located on Manatee Pocket, teaches practical boating skills.

• Curt Whiticar, shipbuilder and artist, founded Whiticar Boat Works.

• The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 59 is at Sandsprit Park.

Hobe Sound - Hutchinson Island - Jensen Beach - Jupiter Island - Palm City - Port Salerno - Sewall's Point - Stuart