Captain Thomas E. Richards sailed down the Indian River to a place he named Eden. With help from Seminole Indians, he cleared the land and hauled lumber up the riverbank to build the Eden Grove House, which became the heart of a growing settlement along the St. Lucie River. Captain Richards helped open the St. Lucie Inlet in 1892, became one of the first land owners in the region to sell land to Black settlers, and donated property for their churches, schools, cemeteries, and Masonic Lodges. He is remembered as one of the founders of the pineapple industry in Southeast Florida. When he passed, he was laid to rest beside his wife and their son in Eden Cemetery, land he and his wife gave to the public.                            This information comes from Sandy Thurlow's book, Historic Jensen and Eden on Florida's Indian River, in the chapter on Captain Thomas E. Richards.  Photo: The Eden Cemetery sign,  buried deep in the pepper trees discovered while exploring the grounds.