 “Pineapple Capital of the World”
The History of Jensen Beach, goes back as
far as the 1500s when the Ais Indians
inhabited the area. The mid 1800s, saw
settlers moving into the area and in 1881,
John Laurence Jensen settled on this land
that today bears his name. He and other
newcomers began planting pineapples. By
1895, Jensen Beach was named the “Pineapple
Capital of the World”, shipping out
1,000,000 boxes of pineapples during the
summer months.
A pineapple canning factory was opened where
fancy pineapples were put in two-quart mason
jars. Captain Richards, who had also planted
a pineapple farm on Hutchinson Island,
produced and bottled a “pineapple
digestive”. The business boomed so well that
from the sand ridge of Sewall’s Point
northward almost to Vero Beach, pineapples
covered the cultivated area. Commercial
fishing was big in the 1890s with as many as
two hundred barrels shipped daily.
As the 1900s approached more people began to
make Jensen Beach their winter home because
they fell in love with the quiet atmosphere,
great fishing and long stretches of empty
beach.
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