1951 Map of Courtenay

About this map

Merritt Island is defined by a landscape of narrow waterways and coastal settlements in the late 1940s, situated between the Indian River and the Banana River. The interior of the island is bisected by Sykes Creek, creating a complex network of marshes and shorelines that dictated the early growth of communities like Courtenay and Indianola. Local history is anchored by several small country churches and burial grounds, including St Lukes Ch, Mt Zion Ch, and the Bethel Cem. On the mainland across the Intracoastal Waterway, the town of Cocoa serves as a transportation hub along the Florida East Coast railroad. This survey captures the region just before the mid-century expansion of the nearby space center began to fundamentally transform the rural character of the island’s settlements and citrus groves.