Indian River County Opens Restored 1880s Jones' Pier as Conservation Area

The fishing pier where 19th-century citrus growers once loaded oranges onto boats bound for the Flagler railroad is open to the public again — 140 years after the Jones family first homesteaded the land along Indian River County's Jungle Trail.

Indian River County Parks and Recreation has opened the Jones' Pier Conservation Area and Interpretive Center on a 16-acre parcel the county purchased in 2008, officials said. The restored site is one of the last standing remnants of Florida's pioneer-era commerce on the barrier islands.

The original 160-acre homestead was established by the Jones family in the 1880s and served as a hub for shipping produce and citrus fruit from Orchid Island to the mainland.

"You are standing on one of the oldest fishing piers and docking areas for Orchid Island in Indian River County," said Beth Powell with Indian River County Parks and Recreation. "And they needed a way to get all that produce and all of that fruit to the mainland. Did you know the Jones Pier area was one of the shipping area locations so this fruit and vegetables could get to the Flagler railroad?"

The path to reopening was neither quick nor easy. Citrus grower Richard Jones and his wife Mary were allowed to remain in the century-old home after the county's purchase until their passing. Then Hurricane Matthew's storm surge in 2016 battered the structure, launching a restoration effort that stretched seven years.

"The fact that we've been able to restore this bungalow cottage is really remarkable," Powell said.

For residents who drive the Jungle Trail — the unpaved historic road that winds along the Indian River Lagoon through unincorporated Indian River County — the site adds a public access point to a stretch of coastline where development has erased most traces of the region's agricultural past. The 16 acres represent a tenth of the original homestead's footprint, but enough to anchor the history in place.

The interpretive center is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, public records indicate. Admission details were not immediately available.

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