The History
Ocean Pines Motel has been in its current location for over 50 years, but hasn't always been a motel. During the second world war, it served as a coastal watch station. At that time, Florida residents and the U.S. military were on high alert for enemy activity in the Atlantic, as noted by the Palm Beach County Historical Society:
"The Germans sank 24 ships in Florida waters during the war, eight of them off Palm Beach County between February and May of 1942. Half of those went down near Jupiter Inlet." So the threat was very real. Today, it's easy to tell the motel was once a barracks to the men who kept vigil on the waters.
"The Germans sank 24 ships in Florida waters during the war, eight of them off Palm Beach County between February and May of 1942. Half of those went down near Jupiter Inlet." So the threat was very real. Today, it's easy to tell the motel was once a barracks to the men who kept vigil on the waters.
1715 Spanish Fleet Shipwreck
Florida in the 18th century remained an isolated outpost of the Spanish Empire. Its most important mission was to secure the homeward route of the Spanish New World Treasure Fleets. These fleets had long funded Spain’s now-declining role in European & world affairs. The loss of the 1715 Fleet was another blow to the newly established Bourbon dynasties of Spain. Gold and silver in great quantity was homeward bound to Philip V when a hurricane destroyed his fleet along Florida’s coast. Some recovery in the aftermath still left much to be recovered beginning in the 1960’s and ongoing to this day. Much research remains to be done on the 1715 Fleet and its treasure. The State of Florida has accumulated a magnificent and yet little studied collection of Fleet material. The 1715 Fleet Society aims to promote public awareness and scholarly study of all facets of the 1715 Fleet disaster.