Historic Stuart... located on the picturesque St. Lucie River, was originally settled in 1880 and was named Potsdam from 1893 to 1896. Stuart was named after Homer Hines Stuart, Jr., who arrived in Stuart in 1883, from New York and built a bungalow on the river and grew pineapples, a very popular crop back in those years.

Today Stuart is a charming, culturally diverse, historically preserved city. Located in one of the most beautiful environments in Florida. Historic landmarks in Stuart include the Lyric Theatre, the Old Martin County Courthouse, which today is home to the Martin County Council of the Arts,and on the beach at Hutchinson Island is the House of Refuge at Gilbert's Bar, a place where shipwrecked sailors, in the past, found compassion and
safe harbor.