Jupiter Hotels With the Best View of the Inlet, On the Inlet
By Haley Dockendorff
Jupiter has become a hot spot for tourists and Florida natives alike, attracting vacationers and staycation-ers to its sunny beaches, wide rivers and great bars.
We should rephrase that: Jupiter has BEEN a hotspot for vacationers and staycation-ers since way back to the 1800s. Instead of overpriced Airbnb’s, the Jupiter Inlet used to be home to three floating hotels. And no, despite the misleading name, they were not giant buildings on floating docks.
The first of these hotels was opened in 1884, marking the first rental lodging in Jupiter’s history. These floating hotels, which were really steamboats and ships converted to feature hotel-like amenities, now exist only in grainy film photos, but organizations like the Loxahatchee River Historical Society and the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum work to preserve and educate the community on interesting facets of Jupiter’s history such as the floating hotels. We partnered with them for this feature to share a bit about the lodgings of old.
First Rental Lodging Comes to Jupiter: The Steadfast – 1884
The Steadfast was Jupiter’s first floating hotel. The boat was a sailing vessel constructed in the 1870s to survey the land of Florida’s east coast, but after the survey was complete, the boat was left grounded.
Ellsworth A. Hotchkiss took over the old stoop, fixed it up and opened it to the public as the first (small) hotel. The vessel only lodged about 13 people, and when the other hotels came around, it was rendered obsolete and is believed to have sunk in the river right where it used to float.
New Girl in Town: The Chattahoochee – 1888
The Chattahoochee made a joke out of the Steadfast. Built in Pittsburg in 1881, the large steamboat was a much grander version of the Steadfast. It arrived in Jupiter in March (funny how March was busy season even back then) of 1888, and this steamboat could lodge up to 75 guests. During the first three weeks of operation, the Chattahoochee had 124 guests. She was sold in 1890 to make room for the grandest floating hotel yet—the Rockledge.
Rockledge/Vaill’s Floating Hotel – 1890
The Rockledge was purchased by the Indian River Steamboat Company in 1886 and, after a summer of renovations, began operating primarily on the Titusville-Melbourne route. Its most famous passenger was President Grover Cleveland.
The Indian River Steamboat Company then sold the boat to Capt. Edward E. Vaill in 1889, where it became known as Vaill’s Floating Hotel and spent four winter seasons in Jupiter. He later took the steamboat to West Palm Beach and, eventually, Miami, where it too deteriorated and was discarded in 1913.
So, there you have it. Even 140 years ago, snowbirds were coming to Jupiter Inlet to have a cocktail on the water or experience the nature of the Indian River. Thanks to the Loxahatchee River Historical Society, we can put ourselves back in time for a moment with preserved photos and historical accounts. Otherwise, the history of these hotels and the inlet operations of the 1800s would be lost at the bottom of the river along with the Steadfast.
If you are interested in learning more about the history of Jupiter Inlet and Lighthouse, consider becoming a member of the historical society, signing up for their newsletter, or better yet, visiting the various museums and historical sights they work to maintain.
