Cottages in Ward's Camp, 1941
Percy E. Ward came to Jensen Beach in 1935 and purchased 13 acres along Indian River Drive, next to the Jensen Bridge. He established the Jensen Lodge restaurant, which soon expanded into Ward’s Cottages and Trailer Park. Ward’s Camp offered dancing, horseshoes, shuffleboard, and fishing, and even featured a 70-year-old alligator named Charlie, until it transferred to “Ugly Wild Bill’s” zoo in Gomez in 1937.
During the 1930s, Pitchford’s Camp, Ward’s Camp, and Gideon’s Camp, all along Indian River Drive, attracted winter tourists with cottages and spaces for trailers and tents. In 1936, Pitchford’s hosted 250 visitors, Ward’s 138, and Gideon’s 46. Auto-camps were a popular and inexpensive vacation in the 1930s. Some sites included gas stations, grocery stores, laundry and bathing facilities, bait shops, and restaurants. Other auto-camps in Stuart included St. Lucie Auto Camp, which changed its name to Stuart Auto Camp in 1936.
In 1952, the Wards sold their property to Robert Weisenberger, who established Poor Bob’s and expanded the trailer facilities.
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