This is my post for #freewriters 2659 prompt destruction of the city hosted by @mariannewest
I live in what was once a small town called Sebastian, Florida. It has always been known as a small fishing village. But all the fish houses have now been turned into restaurants or torn down and most of the old fishermen have passed on. When you drive down river road and look out at the river you will never again see scenes like Coolidge Judah and his son Bobby making a drag.
it was Sembler's fish house now Squid Lips restaurant
We have a 5 mile stretch of road that runs along the Indian River, that is the area that everyone goes to for entertainment and I use those words lightly, they are places to eat and drink or just drink, those are your options for fun unless you are on the water.
We do have a sidewalk that runs for about half the length of the riverfront and when they were building it all of us locals laughed at why they were building a sidewalk, no one walks the road. It is true, build it and they will come. IDK where they came from but many people walk it every day.
At the north end of the road was the crab house. Most of the fishermen's wives worked there, picking the meat from the crabs to be packaged and sold. Arlo Guthry bought the house and turned it into a home. He has now sold it and moved in with his girlfriend, who lives just across the bridge. He is our only celebrity.
On the left was Mays Marina it is now Capt Butchers restaurant and on the right was Archie Smiths Fish House, the fish house was on the end of the dock. They have done nothing about the house but are talking about tearing it down even though it is on the Register of Historic Places.
When someone new buys one of the old houses that lined the riverfront the first thing they do is tear the house down and strip the land of all vegetation. They then built these huge houses where you can not even see the river when driving by.
Archie Smiths fish house
At the beginning I said Sebastian was known as a small fishing village, that is no longer true because I just Googled and Google did not mention anything about it being a small fishing village, times have changed, at least Google is truthful.
What is Sebastian FL known for?
Known today for its thriving tourism industry and as the largest city in Indian River County, Sebastian's history morphed from humble beginnings to becoming a significant tourist destination with popular resorts.
Our town started growing during COVID and has not stopped, Vero Beach has always been the bigger town and that is where most of the jobs are at because other than the 5 miles of riverfront Sebastian does not have much to offer with good paying jobs.
The only good thing is, that there are not many of us left who remember before what I call the destruction of the city. The kids growing up here today see it as it is now, they do not know the beauty I once knew. This is a good thing because my heart breaks every time I drive down river road.
photos are mine