Barefoot Mail Man

In 1885, the official U.S. Mail route on the east coast of Florida only went as  far south as  Palm  Beach. To bring mail to the settlements  beyond, an entrepreneurial father and son team  contracted with  the government and started what eventually became known as the “Barefoot Mailman Route" from Palm Beach to what is now Miami. The route was 68 miles  each way, with 28 miles involving crossing  water.  The round-trip  took  six   days   - 

Monday through Saturday every week of the year. 

The Barefoot  Route was difficult and dangerous  and only existed  for seven  years,  with 15 men being  recorded   as Barefoot  Mailmen. The third Barefoot Mailman, James “Ed” Hamilton, disappeared at the Hillsboro Inlet just a few months after he took over the route in 1887. His possessions including his clothes, were found on the north bank of the Inlet. It was presumed he drowned while trying to swim across the Inlet to look for his boat, which must have been missing from its normal place.  Neither the  boat nor his  body was  ever  recovered.  Today,  a bronze statue at  the base of the Hillsboro Lighthouse  commemorates James “Ed” Hamilton and the Barefoot Mailmen who came before and after him.