Indian River Citrus Museum

ABOUT THIS PLACE

Indian River citrus is a name that means something in the trade. The narrow band of sandy soil along this lagoon, with the water moderating the cold on both sides, produces grapefruit and oranges that have been sold under the Indian River label since the industry began, and the district is defined in law rather than by marketing. The museum covers that story from the 1800s, when settlers first planted groves here and started shipping fruit north, through the packing houses and the labels and the freezes that shaped who survived. There are artifacts, photographs and memorabilia, including the printed crate labels that are now collected in their own right. It was established during the Second World War era and is run alongside the Heritage Center. For anyone considering this county, the groves explain the shape of the place: the towns sit where the packing houses and the rail sidings were, and the grove land behind them is what has been turning into subdivisions for the last thirty years