Henry J. Burkhardt
Henry John Burkhardt was the son of Gottlieb and Christine Daubman Burkhardt. He served in the U.S. Navy spending three years in Italy, and after his service he moved to Florida. Burkhardt settled at first on the Biscayne Bay in the area of Cocoanut Grove. He and his brother, Louis W. Burkhardt, opened a store on the east side of Lake Worth at the future site of Henry Flagler's Whitehall. Flagler would later hire Burkhardt to head operations to clear land for the Royal Poinciana Hotel. He was a barefoot mailman from 1887 to 1892, and he was known for removing all of his clothes and walking naked along his route when away from settlements or people. Burkhardt also operated a passenger boat, the Maud S.B., based in Juno at the end of the Celestial Railroad. He was one of the early leaders of West Palm Beach, and was elected to be one of the first aldermen in 1894. He moved back to Miami about 1897, and then moved to California around 1915.
- Birth: June 26, 1862, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Death: 1940, California
Name Variations:
- Henry John Burkhardt
- H.J. Burkhardt
- H.J. Burkhart
- H.J. Burckhart
Credits:
Sources:
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1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015