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Brevard County Boundaries
(1821 - present)
by Betty Eichhorn

It is essential to know the county boundaries when doing research so as to look in the right courthouses or censuses.

1821-1844- Florida Territory. Brevard was part of Mosquito County (only material is currently in the USGW Archives).

14 Mar 1844- The county called St. Lucie was created. (The 1850 census of Brevard is under the title St. Lucie. Do not confuse with the present day St. Lucie County.)

3 Mar 1845-Florida became the 27th State.

6 Jan 1855- St. Lucie renamed Brevard.

Brevard County covered a vast area with boundaries that changed several times. It included the eastern half of Polk, Highlands, Glades and Palm Beach Counties and all of present day Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River Counties, and some to all of Osceola County and sometimes a part of Orange County. The northern part of Brevard would be in Orange and later Volusia County.

8 Feb 1861- Polk County created, making the Kissimmee River Brevard's western boundary.

8 Dec 1866- Dade County created. Brevard lost all territory south of a line paralleling the northern shore of Lake Okeechobee, including most of Martin County except for a small portion in the northeast corner.

19 Feb 1874- Brevard lost Highlands County and most of Glades County.

11 Mar 1879- Northern boundary of present day Brevard County established. Prior to this time, the northern boundary (including present day Osceola County) moved up and down over the years.

11 July 1887- Osceola County established. Brevard lost the territory of present day Osceola and Okeechobee Counties.

1 July 1905- St. Lucie County was created which established the southern boundary of Brevard County.

3 Nov 1959- Brevard lost a small coastal area south of Sebastian Inlet to Indian River County.

Source, and for more detailed information, see Florida Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, John H. Long, Editor. Charles Scribner and Sons, New York. 1997.

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Original Material Copyright 2008, Patrice Green - and updated July 2022  ~	All other copyrights retained by contributors