1675-1 Town Of Harding i THE HERALD, t finally el mtnaung Norton from the
SJNDAY, APRIL 21, 1940 picture. t•Refuted Six Lots 't •e- .. ...•ot theme'
During the fight, he had refused -1.'7? '� comment L that 1L we
to accept the six lots which were ese�'ot South Americans
Harding Tale Tragic f unsold in the auction. Since hisdefaNt of debts tots!
.7.
s,.. IAowh+w
a / death four years ago,a movement ;....'..4.1,,,,
. �etdved.wn eraUon .
* * * * * •+ has been started to obtain these :',..1.e's'
sWbeingplain/ lots tors his son and daughtera,who • V America°ycimuss and sedVeto Blow To Townsiters // reside in the 3flami area. '' • money m ift>> used;}"'.. _!,'these lavish gifts to tors `.
When the Supreme court decision• - If we can't pay up within'
Ever since the Hardin townsite area of !Sterni Beach was finally put the government in post- ' des we must be closed out eves
tion to1h�:government has taken over
ted from the category of "forgotten" land 20 years ago, It has give patents to the lot pun �'
• gb ..;'` 00' from them above a the
n the symbol of.man's pioneering spirit and perseverance. Its chasers, the natlon•wlde depres Y•='.- teal"
!story has been marked bysi tragedy and the rise and fall of !n• cion"xas at Its worst Those put'. ..• Keefer can't
ret that the
victual fortunes, p chaser who cull owed and re-
garded �`'° "pe hen au rchas n wec ars-
. Beach removed the area from the their FF • four days after the auction
:The recent veto by President homestead category. equities as greater i.y�Sf``.. 'when the purchaser decided
evelt of a bill that would have The site x•azgnamed after Presl• than the then value of the property f'"r'i s;hange the name of the Harding
eos
eleaaed Harding townsite lot buy dent Harding and cut up Into 133 started a movement through an as wnslte to Harding Beach.
el of liability for finalpayments lou wih asociatlon for cancellation of some �'be pais was Platted into 133
park dedieated to the Is apprised at SL000 for ocean
due on "boomtime'• purchases has
public use on the ocean and the SJ2•�o due from purchasers of 71 lryot cornus, ii50 for Inside lou
started activity for reconstruction bay. Streets were laid out and on of the lots. Durin the last 10 years facing the oto$3 and a graduated
of the measure in Washington. George Washington's birthday an- several bills were introduced In 3` '` aCtle down to E350 for other lou,
1 The area, still mostly undevel• n1t•ersary In 1924 an auction sale
oped, lies between the ocean and was conducted by J.C. Obenchsale congress under the sponsorship of2TThee,auctioneer was extremely
t�
the bay between Seventy-third and chief Inspector of the interior de he HardingTownsitelmprovement "'— dyable In presenting the adtan-
Seventy- streets ets and adjoins Putf de-
Association. All were :topped' i tagea of that th a home here, ez-
Surfslde. Its developed section, Claimed Entire Area various stages. They were involved plalal ed that the government has
Collins avenue to the ocean, In- Norton made a large sign an. In manyserved a plot along ten ocean and
eludes such buildings as the Surf flouncing: "This Is my homestead. • The current a politicalbimaneuver, atwther o° the west end running
Theaterand Epicure Restaurant. I claim entire area as my home- bill, Introduced 1a .to'•Ttsdlan Creek for parka. Some
On Harding avenue Is a four-unit stead:' the urate by Senator C. 0, An bidder therefore paid high prices
apartment building. These lou,of He intended posting 1t on his draws and passed by both senate *1st,aad'that still 1s !n the wild
course, have increased steadily !n house but at Obenchain's warning and house, struck a sn able affil meanwhile the submerged
'value and have been sold and re- he left the sign down and watched budget bureau. at tie land that ku to have been the '
sold. Purchasers of other lots con-. the sale proceed from a chair on his public park hu been sold to a pri•
end,•however, that present value: porch, ltottld Be Dbcrimlaatlon rate lndlvld lel and developed Into '
Is less than the remaining 25 per The auctioneer sold 128 of the lots In his veto message, a%7(acre island under a govern•
cent payment due and they want' for 5386,400, which xas $329,8508 bill would .,pleat permit"
the federaigovernment,which auc- ne Roosevelt declared the would
Boned. the.lots In 1924, to Issue Thee purchasershavetsaplaid to date550. chasesdiscrimwho againstdo 57 lot pun ( '•• " ~�~-�
patents or deeds without further 5273,300 and owe 556.550. which Chaser had complete(' their
a menta. . ' must be paid up In 60 days unless P+ymeen in favor of those who
....Norton Discovered Error forfeiture
by rfeomre of their interest is stays had been delinquent in paying.
I
The history of the area!c close. �somet new to
andgre theAs for those who have not paid,
y bound with of oneMr. Roosevelt
man, the late theewfortune Norton, federal government filed an eject• commented that
fwho, in 1920, was a clerk In the ment suit against him. The case when they,entered contracts in
of Hill,then Dade county was tried In United States District 1824• they must have
tax.office BobBor. court at Jacksonville in January, themselves that the lots were worth
�IIt all started when the Tatem In 1026,with Pierce,who had come to the amount they contracted to pay."
Lerests complained they were beings �flaml•and Coral Gables,represent-
taxed for lands their e}s said !ng Norton. Judge Lake Jones de- Ina 1938 appraisal,the lots were
I they didn't own. Nortontlnvsaid tided the case in favor of.Norton. valued at$S75,COp, and 71 lou a(•
t gated and found that no federal pa4 Norton's wife died in the home- .fected•by the vetoed bill were eval-
' guts the but that t'astead` uated at
entcoveredvere stationeland,xsupposedThen came the hurricane in Se price of whereas the pun
. coast• be on tember, 1938, when the ocean rose chase of the latter was
land homepart movedHe sold
hisnd high over the land and met the i_08,775.
t that apparently moved ontten" by waters from the bay, Norton's "While it la true;" the President
I the earlyp rsntly was house was lifted from its founds- Informed the senate,"that some of
t, Charles R. pierce tions. He and his son and two the purchasers who have not made
i Contacting attorney,who then was Pierce,
daughters saved their lives only by full payment for their lots con•
ainat Washington, n was ac. crawling into the garret of the tracted to a
pliedcing for opening of the area to house,barely above the water that as indicatedpby themore 1a938 theirp value
homesteading. It was valued at' Covered the land. a substantial majority of iheapu,
SIS an acre for agriculturalapart ' Returned To Old Job chasers who still owe balance, on
poses.xSurveying then developed wiped out financially,Norton re- their lots will,according to thesame
at the coast guardh station was turned to 5liamj and to his old job appraisal,have a value
n adjoining land not owned in the tax assessors office. the contract price,even though the
e government The coast y Still persevering, however, he full amount is paid. In some In-
t
nog andm guard made trips at the end of each work- stances the appraised value is three
uul ding and Norton'sorwere moved ing day to his homestead where he or four_times
that each occupied a portion of •gathered wreckage of his house and tract price, greater than the con•
e present townsite area. nailed together a two-room we "No good reason appears for re-
lieving the purchasers of the oblige-
. Norton raised papayas among One evening, As it was nearingtions whichothey assumed many
the•pine.trees surrounding his j completion, It disappeared! years ago
e
house. He also grew tomatoes and Norton said that apparentlyCouldeNot Give seems t
o vegetables, while living out hisboards hauled
"The President the
homestead time waiting for the someone needing the hauled look the fact that government
right to his government patents, it off in a truck. could not deliver title to the land
While the bill opening the area Judge Jones'decision in favor of for many years and that during
-0'homesteading was adopted due- Norton was reversed by the Court •that time one purchaser can verify
sg tits Wilson administration, It of Appeals on the propertyo fact t could have
vas signed by his successor,Pres!.
PPg ground that the at aprofit of cold his
ant Harding. It Was the same Sovetftment bad the right to with.lwas 0� but •
D. Keefer, seer&
farding who threen P mented unablee. to deliver It;' com-
923,withdrew the landfromhome- entsw actually were Issus ed. The E g Beach Improve.
Lead and declared it a townsite. Y tart'of the Harding
United States Supreme court re- discriminating againstation. As toh thispbill
teal estate delegations,which had
one to tate delegations,
ati ns,which
that fused to review the case In 930, have t those who
rowing real.estate values at Miami ,, 1 paid, most of the lots that
•� _ _ ._ have ba or paid for are on Collins
avenue or the ocean front. They
•have value because they are acrea-