Frenchman’s Creek | Jeff Lichtenstein | Frenchmans Creek

Frenchman’s Creek | History | Frenchmans Creek

• Daphne du Maurier, a famed British author, in her novel “Frenchman’s Creek,” tells the story of a French pirate on the run who finds refuge in a small Cornish waterway and later wins the heart of a local lady
• In 1935 the Hoyt family bought land on North Prosperity Farms Road near the Intracoastal Waterway
• They were attracted to a fresh-water basin and a hurricane haven for boats
• By the 1940s the family owned much of the area, then known as Paradise Port
• In the later 1940s federal surveyors found a small wooden sign that one of the Hoyt children, Billy Hoyt, had placed on a small creek
• It turned out the children had informally named the stream for one of their mother’s favorite novels: Du Maurier’s Frenchman’s Creek
• The name became official and still marks the small waterway that runs through the Frenchman’s Creek neighborhood and connects to the nearby Marina
• In 1977 developers Burt Haft and Jack Gaines purchased the 1,400 acres of land, formerly owned by the Hoyts, from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for $61 million, which included two public golf courses
• The 700 acres south of Donald Ross Road with the two golf courses became Frenchman’s Creek
• The 700 acres north of Donald Ross Road were sold and are now home to The Bear’s Club and Ritz Carlton Golf and Spa communities
• Frenchman’s Creek was approved by the county for the development of 3,300 housing units; Haft Gaines settled for a much lower density of only 600 home sites
• Houses were then marketed from $325,000 to more than $3 million
• In 1986 additional land was purchased in Juno Beach on which the Beach Club was built directly adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean
• Jeff’s website is the best place to get all of the latest and most up-to-date information on Frenchmans Creek homes for sale