Isabella S. Peacock
Isabella and Charles Peacock became early settlers in Cocoanut Grove, moving from England in 1875 with their three sons. The two had been encouraged to move to Florida by Charles' brother, Jack Peacock, who was keeper of the House of Refuge on Biscayne Bay. They lived in Fort Dallas for a while, running a trading post and manufacturing starch from coontie. They became friends with Commodore Ralph M. Munroe, a frequent visitor from New York who settled in Cocoanut Grove to Florida. In the early 1880s Munroe encouraged the Peacocks to establish a hotel to support all of the seasonal visitors to the area. They opened the Bay View House, the first hotel on the Biscayne Bay, in 1882 or 1883. Some sources refer to the hotel as the Bayview House, Bay View Villa, or Bay View Inn. It was later renamed the Peacock Inn. In the texts, the hotel is named the "Cocoanut Grove Hotel," but this is probably incorrect. The Peacocks also operated a store, which was managed by their son, Charles. The store was in another building at the head of the dock a block away from the hotel. The Expedition texts describe the hotel as mostly filled with visitors, many from New York or Boston, and also mention that the hotel had about 30 rooms and a separate cottage annex. The Peacocks sold the hotel in 1902. It was torn down in 1926, and later became a park which was named Peacock Park in honor of the Peacocks.
- Birth: April 24, 1842, England
- Death: December 12, 1917, Florida
Credits:
Sources:
- Charles W. Pierce, Pioneer Life in Southeast Florida, 1970
- Lillian Frow Peacock and Eunice Peacock Collection, University of Miami Special Collections
- Findagrave.com
- The Forgotten Frontier: Florida Through the Lens of Ralph Middleton Munroe, by Arva Moore Parks, 1977
- The Commodore's Story, by Ralph Middleton Munroe and Vincent Gilpin, 1930
- Ralph M. Munroe Family Papers, University of Miami Special Collections
- "The Commodore's Story: Early Miami History," An Exhibition of Photographs from the Ralph M. Munroe Family Papers, University of Miami Libraries Special Collections
- "Frontier hotel Peacock Inn and the Mother of Coconut Grove," by Jane Feehan, Jane's History Nook
References in the Texts:
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For other topics referenced in the Expedition texts, please refer to the Index to Subjects and Names.
1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015