All for Peanuts

We left Stuart, Florida on November 15th and headed south 42 miles for West Palm Beach.  Along the way we stopped at Hobe Sound, North Lake Worth and Peanut Island.  Peanut Island was created in 1918 with material dredged from the construction of the Lake Worth inlet.  It was named Peanut Island because there were plans to ship peanut oil from the Island. In 1930 congress authorized the building of a Coast Guard Station on the island.  The station officially opened in 1936 and subsequently closed in 

Peanut Island
Coast Guard Station

Entrance to
Presidential Bunker

1995. In 1961 a secret bunker was built to provide a shelter and command post for President John F Kennedy who frequently vacationed in Palm Beach with his family during the winter months.  We anchored off Peanut Island when we crossed over to the Bahamas in 2001.  At the time we had four of our six children with us (see the "Memories" post).  We did not go ashore because the island was still off limits. In 2003 the US Army Corp of Engineers had all nonnative vegetation removed and created a 30 acre wildlife habitat.  Then in 2005 the island was opened to the public as an eco-adventure county park.  There is no charge to visit the park, unless you want to tour the Coast Guard Station or Presidential Bunker.  

Peanut Island Lagoon

While we were there we hiked its 

Peanut Island Park

1.25 miles of trails; enjoying the lagoon with its diverse wildlife and colorful fish.  The Coast Guard Station was interesting with it many artifacts. The bunker on the other hand was built to be used by the President, his family and staff members in the event of a Cuban launched nuclear missile.  It could house up to thirty individual and contained enough food and water to sustain life for 30 days.  It was built in two weeks by Navy Seabees out of corrugated metal, lead and 12 feet of earth (cost: top secret).  The bunker itself is accessed through a steel reinforced door, then down a long metal tunnel.  At the end of the tunnel to the right is a generator of electricity and to the left is the decontamination room.

Presidential Bunker's Main Living Area

To access the living area you have to pass through the decontamination room.  The main living area has beds, chairs, food, water storage, restrooms and a desk for the President. Yet the bunker for the time period is very primitive. For example, there was no running water, sinks or flush toilets.  We felt fortunate that we were not required to live there, underground, for thirty days.  The bunker is 1500 square feet, and we thought "Little Lara" was small.  President Kennedy was never known to have used the facility, as it became obsolete with the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

President Kennedy's Desk and Chair

 

Until next time, fair winds