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Before Earl's Hideaway, Earl owned 4 restaurants, Showboat in New York

By Cheryl Smith, Treasure Coast Newspapers USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway biker bar in Sebastian, Florida, owned the famous Showboat big-band dance palace in New Lebanon, New York, for 16 years. In 1930, Earl, 33, and older brother Arthur, 41, built the nightclub, which newspapers called "the most unique ballroom in the country." From their hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, it was just across the state line and over Lebanon Mountain. Though situated in a valley, the landlocked "ocean liner" had a "gangplank" entry and encircling "promenade deck" with steamer chairs plus davits, ladders, life boats and searchlights. The ballroom had decorations and lighting effects that simulated ocean waves. There was "deep sea fishing" and "kiddie car races" on the deck, and a 500-car parking lot "harbor" policed by "sailors." In 1943, Showboat closed for WWII and reopened in 1946 after Arthur and his wife, Leona Belle Littlefield, sold it. In 1975, Showboat was destroyed in an arson fire.
Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway biker bar in Sebastian, Florida, owned the famous Showboat big-band dance palace in New Lebanon, New York, for 16 years. In 1930, Earl, 33, and older brother Arthur, 41, built the nightclub, which newspapers called "the most unique ballroom in the country." From their hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, it was just across the state line and over Lebanon Mountain. Though situated in a valley, the landlocked "ocean liner" had a "gangplank" entry and encircling "promenade deck" with steamer chairs plus davits, ladders, life boats and searchlights. The ballroom had decorations and lighting effects that simulated ocean waves. There was "deep sea fishing" and "kiddie car races" on the deck, and a 500-car parking lot "harbor" policed by "sailors." In 1943, Showboat closed for WWII and reopened in 1946 after Arthur and his wife, Leona Belle Littlefield, sold it. In 1975, Showboat was destroyed in an arson fire. NEWSPAPERS.COM USA TODAY Network, Reuters

Editor's note: Cheryl Smith attributes all reporting in this series to exhaustive research on newspapers.com, archives.com, fold3.com; Indian River County records; historical societies, museums and Facebook groups in Sebastian, St. Lucie County and Wisconsin; Green Bay Packers team historian Cliff Christl; Sebastian resident Judith Swingle; and Vero Beach attorney Eugene J. O'Neill's book, "Raising the Bar: In and Before Indian River County - A History." Contact her at cheryl.smith@tcpalm.com if you have any photos, records or information that corrects or adds to this account.

Earl Roberts and Grace Martin, hospitality industry veterans since the 1930s, must have known what they were doing when they founded Earl's Hideaway - a Sebastian legacy still popular 80 years later.

The later-life partners separately had owned several bars and restaurants in New York and Virginia before moving to Florida together: New Smyrna Beach circa 1942, then Sebastian circa 1946. That year, the couple, almost in their 50s, opened the original Earl's Bar & Package Store in the Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon.

In New York, Earl had owned three restaurants across from each other in the Lebanon Mountain valley. One was Showboat, a famous big-band dance palace he built in 1930 in New Lebanon, just over the mountain and across the state line from his hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Earl also was a celebrated home designer, contractor and developer in Pittsfield who almost solely turned a farm into the Hazelwood Terrace neighborhood. He was recognized in 1928 as a "younger businessman" who "met with considerable success" and had "made an enviable name for himself" after eight years in business.

Less is known about Grace Marie Dixon Powers Martin.

She may have helped run a Wisconsin tavern with her first husband, Sammy Powers, who was on the inaugural Green Bay Packers from 1919-21. In 1935, she owned a Virginia restaurant with her second husband.

In nearby Washington, D.C., she worked for National Foods and was a consultant for seven years at Union News Corp., which owned and/or operated restaurants throughout New York, before moving to Florida.

Earl and Grace knew each other from Showboat and her jobs in Washington, D.C.

Earl built famous Showboat nightclub in New Lebanon, New York

Earl, 33, and brother Arthur, 41, built "the most unique ballroom in the country" in 1930, and owned it for 16 years.

The "ocean liner" had a "gangplank" entry and encircling promenade deck - with steamer chairs, davits, ladders, life boats and searchlights - where "deep sea fishing" and "kiddie car races" were held. The ballroom had decorations and lighting effects that simulated ocean waves. The "harbor" was a 500-car parking policed by "sailors."

Not only was it unique, but the landmark hosted two historic firsts in the new world of media. In 1931, WGY in New York broadcast a live Showboat performance, which was the first direct broadcast from New Lebanon. In 1948, Showboat hosted Lebanon Valley's first public showing of a television receiver.

Showboat was on Albany-Pittsfield Road near New York City

Showboat was on Route 20 - the "Albany-Pittsfield Road" - about 150 miles north of New York City. Albany Transit arranged special sunset-tour transportation from Albany and Troy to Showboat. It attracted people "from the Berkshires and Capital District" around Albany.

The seasonal nightclub typically opened in May and closed after Labor Day, with summer-season dances on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Between sets, there were novelty and vaudeville acts from the RKO circuit. Balloons, novelties, noisemakers and party favors created a festive atmosphere.

Showboat destroyed in arson fire in 1975

Ads touted Showboat's "perfect" hardwood dance floor; promoted its beer, wine, liquor and "all good things to eat;" and urged customers to "get the Showboat habit."

In WWII, Arthur was in the Army Air Forces in 1942 and Showboat closed for three years when the manager joined the Marines in 1943. Showboat reopened in 1946 after pro boxer Nicholas Pignone of Pittsfield bought it.

Over the years, Showboat changed hands, declined, closed and was destroyed by arson fire in 1975.

Earl owned Starlight and Valley Park restaurants in New York

Earl owned two other restaurants across from Showboat.

He was 39 when he opened Earl's New Starlight Restaurant in 1936, whose name he gradually shortened to Earl's Starlight and then just Earl's. He also opened Earl's Valley Park Restaurant on the Albany Road circa 1937.

The Starlight was where his family had breakfast there after both daughters' weddings. Evelyn, 23, hosted a 75-person party in 1940. Celia, 23, hosted immediate family in 1941.

The 24-hour restaurant had curb service for sandwiches, hot plates, light lunches; chops, steaks and turkey dinners; soda, ice cream, fountain drinks; plus beer, wine, liquor, cigars, cigarettes and candy.

1939 New York World's Fair Trylon and Perisphere

Its iconic logo became the Trylon and Perisphere, a geometric Art Deco structure in the middle of the 1939 New York World's Fair. A modern "World of Tomorrow" symbol, the Trylon was a 610-foot-tall triangular spire and the Perisphere was an 180-foot-diameter sphere. A massive escalator connected them.

Incidentally, a World Fair commissioner in charge of the Maryland state restaurant and pavilion was Grace's 20-year-old daughter, Jeanne, from her first marriage to Sammy Powers in 1918.

To tend to his three busy businesses, Earl, 43, had moved to New Lebanon by 1940 and lived in a home he owned with three women: a married housekeeper, 63, and two single waitresses, 19 and 29. Wife Beatrice, 45, was head of the Pittsfield household with their kids: Evelyn, 23; Celia, 21; and Frank, 10.

1939 was the first record of Earl visiting Florida that TCPalm could find. In 1942, he started making frequent business trips back and forth from Pittsfield and New Lebanon to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where he eventually moved.

After WWII ended, there was a flurry of activity in 1946:

  • Earl sold the Starlight to Frank Aulisio and George Montello, both of Pittsfield.
  • Earl's wife sold the Valley Park for $30,000 to former General Electric employee George Mantella of Pittsfield.
  • Arthur and his wife sold Showboat and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. The buyer was Nicholas "Nick" Pignone, a Pittsfield native, General Electric transformer winder and former professional boxer who once held the New England heavyweight title.
  • Earl reopened the 1925-built Sebastian Inn he bought in 1944, but the Navy immediately commandeered for military barracks. Grace was the hotel manager and restaurant hostess.

Earl owned 2 Florida railroad diners and Sebastian Inn hotel

Earl's first venture in Florida was buying the Depot Restaurant on the first floor of the two-story New Smyrna Beach train station in 1943. Daughter Evelyn's husband quit his 13-year job at General Electric in Pittsfield to manage it, but he soon returned home and retired from GE.

Earl also opened an old train car diner at 200 S. Third St. (address no longer exists) in the Fort Pierce railyard in 1945. It had different names, owners and managers over the years, including F.E.C. Diner, East Coast Diner and Railroad Diner. It no longer was mentioned in the city directory after 1952 or the newspaper after 1954.

"Railroads would sublease space for a restaurant and someone else would run it," said Jerry Groothouse, a Fort Pierce native and Florida East Coast Railway Society member. "The Fort Pierce train station was a pretty good size for a small town because it was a division point."

A 1948 Saturday Evening Post article about two Fort Pierce diners titled "The Diner Puts on Airs" included an illustration of Earl's diner and The Palace Diner on Avenue D, which had been moved from U.S. 1.

"The genuine article," the caption for Earl's diner reads. "A converted railroad car, this diner at Ft. Pierce, Florida, stays open all night and is patronized almost entirely by railroad men."

Between diners, Earl bought the 40-room Sebastian Inn, where the Sportsman's Lodge & Marina is today at 412 Indian River Drive. He bought it in 1944, but didn't reopen it until after the Navy vacated in 1946, having immediately commandeered it for WWII military barracks.

Earl's Bar & Package Store relocated and renamed Earl's Hideaway

Hotel ownership is fuzzy. U.S. vs. Sebastian Inn, a legal action to take over the hotel, named these interested parties:

  • George D. Barrick of Coshocton, Ohio, who bought the hotel in 1937
  • Earl L. Roberts, in care of the Depot Restaurant in New Smyrna Beach
  • Charles Cleveland "C.C." Braswell and wife Mary Ruby of Miami

Records and news articles give conflicting accounts of the sales transactions:

  • March: Barrick sold it to Braswell
  • May: Braswell sold it to "parties in New York," which may have meant Earl
  • June: Barrick sold it to Earl

In July, Earl left New York for Florida, "where he is closing a contract with the Navy to take over his hotel," a news article says. The barracks were for the expanded U.S. Naval radar team's Night Fighter Training Program at the Naval Air Station in Vero Beach.

After WWII ended, Earl posted a legal notice declaring himself the sole owner, and opened for business.

He commissioned local artist Dale Wimbrow to create 20 scenic oil-covered photographs of the St. Sebastian River. He opened Earl's Bar & Package Store and renamed the Marine Terrace the Marine Room restaurant, and he began building the Picture Window Cocktail Lounge, which he opened in 1948.

Regular ads touted Grace as the restaurant hostess, "assisted by those two famous chefs." Grace came from National Foods and brothers Thomas and Louise King came from the Old Ebbitt House, both in Washington, D.C.

Earl and Grace lived in the hotel.

Guests took scenic boat tours of the lagoon, river and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Jungle Belle and Leading Lady. In 1947, Earl and Grace accompanied esteemed guests on the hotel's first charter airplane tour in a twin-engine Cessna that stopped in several cities and ended in New Smyrna Beach, "where the party was royally entertained" by that city's hotel owner.

Earl Roberts was Sebastian mayor-judge and hotel owner

The Sebastian City Council mayor-judge election on Dec. 8, 1947, ended in a 72-vote tie between Earl, 50, and incumbent Leonard M. Shafor. Councilmen Archie Smith, Charles Sembler Sr. and J.R. Middleton chose Earl to unseat the mayor. Earl served in 1948 and 1949, but was not reelected.

The seasonal hotel was open only in winter until Earl stayed open all year starting circa 1949. Earl heavily advertised in Northeast newspapers, offering:

  • $50 per week for a "room, best of food, day and moonlight tropical scenic cruises, speed boat rides, boats for fishing, beach and swimming parties, entertainment and dancing every night in the famous Marine Room."
  • $179.50 "all expense rail trip (from Pittsfield) to Vero Beach."
  • Rail excursion to Dodgertown (in Vero Beach) with on-board entertainment "to keep travelers in a gay mood from start to finish."

By 1950, business wasn't booming anymore. Earl, 53, who was "just getting around" again after being badly hurt in a car crash, closed the hotel - but not the bar, lounge and restaurant.

He blamed the proliferation of cheap new motels on the new Old Dixie Highway, now U.S. 1.

"At one time, it was really the place to go," Earl, 71, said in a 1968 news article before the hotel being razed. "We just couldn't keep up after the motels came in."

1951 was a bad year. Florida's beverage director cited Earl for an "unauthorized transaction," but gave no details, and Reconstruction Finance Corp. sued over a $44,000 unpaid loan Earl and wife Bea got in 1951.

In 1955, the bank foreclosed and auctioned the property to the highest bidders: attorneys R.S. Swing and J.W. Ball of Vero Beach. Dances, dinners and club meetings continued until circa 1962. Then Orvis and Jackie Coursey bought and razed the dilapidated property in 1968 to build the Sportsman's Lodge & Marina.

Earl and Grace moved the bar "3/4 miles north on left," said a handmade sign propped up against the outside wall.

In 1960, Earl and Grace, now in their early 60s, co-signed a lease for a bar, restaurant and two south-adjacent cottages on the property at 1405 Indian River Drive. They lived in the cottage closest to the bar.

In 1965, Grace, 67, bought the property; the liquor license was in her name; and they soon renamed the bar Earl's Hideaway.

In 1973 when Grace died, the bar went to daughter Jeanne, who ran it until she sold it in 1977.

Don't confuse Old Sebastian Hotel and New Sebastian Inn

The Sebastian Inn had a storied history before Earl bought it 20 years after it opened.

The Spanish-Mediterranean hotel was built for $750,000 by Fort Pierce developer F.E. Gober and Georgia engineer James Odom, who built many coastal hotels in Florida and Georgia during the 1925 real estate boom.

Its "sister" was the 50-room Altadena Hotel in Fort Pierce, which opened Jan. 5, 1925, and sat high on the Avenue H hill with "a magnificent view" of the lagoon, port, harbor, inlet and causeway. For six years, it was owned by Alto Adams Sr., who became a notable Florida cattle rancher, chief justice and Supreme Court judge whose name is on the federal courthouse on U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce today.

Adams owned the hotel with W.H. Haines and operators Viola Hughes and her son, Nat. Adams built his two-story house on the south hill, but it was razed in the 1980s, according to grandson Mike Adams.

Alto Adams Sr. owned Altadena Hotel in Fort Pierce

The New Sebastian Inn was so named to distinguish it from the Sebastian Hotel that opened at U.S. 1 and Main Street in 1912. During construction, the former was called Edgewater Park Hotel for its subdivision.

In 1926, the Hylton brothers of Cocoa Beach, who had a five-year lease, opened the hotel with a free banquet and dinner dance in the main lobby and dining room, with music by The Florida Crackers nine-piece symphony orchestra from Melbourne.

Gabriel Frank Hylton and Thomas Page Hylton were known for their many Florida restaurants, including Hylton's Café in the Raulerson Building on Second Street at Avenue A in downtown Fort Pierce.

The hotel had electric signs on the roof, an ornamental fence around a yard full of plants, flowers and three large fountains with five fish varieties in the basin, plus a stretch of parkway along the lagoon. The "new and modern" Riverside Tavern opened on New Year's Eve 1938.

In 1940, the hotel boasted a French chef, guided hunting and fishing, shows by manager "Dr. Frank Pickard, one of the most popular magicians in America," and nightly fireworks at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.

"Regulation aerial bombs such as used by the Coast Guard patrols and ships in distress are fired from the Marine Terrace … casting brilliant stars in all directions and then slowly descend carrying a succession of intensely bright magnesium flares," the newspaper reported. "People for 20 miles around could set their watches by it instead of the ‘old-fashioned sound of the musical note.' "

Sebastian Inn owners over the decades

Owners over the years, and too many managers to list them all, included:

  • 1926: Builder James Robert Odom and Joe L. Montgomery, who replaced City Councilman E.W. Vickers in 1927
  • 1927: Nannie Loula Baker, a married, multi-business proprietor from Jacksonville
  • 1937: George D. Barrick of Coshocton, Ohio
  • 1940: George W. Scholtz, a native of Lisbon, Portugal, whose father, Henry, was a U.S. ambassador to Spain and board chair of Armstrong Cork Co. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  • 1942: Scholtz sold it back to Barrick
  • 1944: Earl Roberts of New Smyrna Beach
  • 1955: Attorneys R.S. Swing and J.W. Ball of Vero Beach
  • 1968: Orvis and Jackie Coursey of Fort Pierce, who razed it to build Sportsman's Lodge & Marina

Cheryl Smith is a TCPalm editor who can be contacted at cheryl.smith@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Before Earl's Hideaway, Earl owned 4 restaurants, Showboat in New York

Reporting by Cheryl Smith, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The famous Showboat big-band dance palace in New Lebanon, New York, opened for its first summer season on July 3, 1930. Miss Massachusetts christened her at 8 p.m. that night. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway biker bar in Sebastian, Florida, and older brother Arthur built the roaring nightclub in 1930. Newspapers called "the most unique ballroom in the country." From their hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, it was just across the state line and over Lebanon Mountain. Situated in the valley, the landlocked "ocean liner" had a "gangplank" entry and encircling "promenade deck" with steamer chairs plus davits, ladders, life boats and searchlights. The ballroom had decorations and lighting effects that simulated ocean waves. There was "deep sea fishing" and "kiddie car races" on the deck, and a 500-car parking lot "harbor" policed by "sailors." In 1943, Showboat closed for WWII and reopened in 1946 after Arthur and his wife, Leona Belle Littlefield, sold it to pro boxer Nick Pignone. After several more owners, Earl and Art lived to see the day their Showboat destroyed in a 1975 arson fire.
The famous Showboat big-band dance palace in New Lebanon, New York, opened for its first summer season on July 3, 1930. Miss Massachusetts christened her at 8 p.m. that night. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway biker bar in Sebastian, Florida, and older brother Arthur built the roaring nightclub in 1930. Newspapers called "the most unique ballroom in the country." From their hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, it was just across the state line and over Lebanon Mountain. Situated in the valley, the landlocked "ocean liner" had a "gangplank" entry and encircling "promenade deck" with steamer chairs plus davits, ladders, life boats and searchlights. The ballroom had decorations and lighting effects that simulated ocean waves. There was "deep sea fishing" and "kiddie car races" on the deck, and a 500-car parking lot "harbor" policed by "sailors." In 1943, Showboat closed for WWII and reopened in 1946 after Arthur and his wife, Leona Belle Littlefield, sold it to pro boxer Nick Pignone. After several more owners, Earl and Art lived to see the day their Showboat destroyed in a 1975 arson fire. PROVIDED BY NEWSPAPERS.COM USA TODAY Network, Reuters
In the 1930s-40s, Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway biker bar in Sebastian, Florida, owned Earl's New Starlight Restaurant and Earl's Valley Park Restaurant in New Lebanon, New York, for about 10 years. Starlight's iconic logo and sign became the Trylon and Perisphere, a geometric Art Deco structure in the middle of the 1939 New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens. A modern "World of Tomorrow" symbol, the Trylon was a 610-foot-tall triangular spire and the Perisphere was an 180-foot-diameter sphere. A massive escalator connected them. His restaurants were across from the famous Showboat big-band dance palace he and brother Arthur built in 1930. Newspapers called Showboat "the most unique ballroom in the country." From their hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Showboat was just across the state line and over Lebanon Mountain. After WWII ended, the brothers sold both restaurants and Showboat in 1946, when Art moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, and Earl opened the 1925-built Sebabastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon.
In the 1930s-40s, Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway biker bar in Sebastian, Florida, owned Earl's New Starlight Restaurant and Earl's Valley Park Restaurant in New Lebanon, New York, for about 10 years. Starlight's iconic logo and sign became the Trylon and Perisphere, a geometric Art Deco structure in the middle of the 1939 New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens. A modern "World of Tomorrow" symbol, the Trylon was a 610-foot-tall triangular spire and the Perisphere was an 180-foot-diameter sphere. A massive escalator connected them. His restaurants were across from the famous Showboat big-band dance palace he and brother Arthur built in 1930. Newspapers called Showboat "the most unique ballroom in the country." From their hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Showboat was just across the state line and over Lebanon Mountain. After WWII ended, the brothers sold both restaurants and Showboat in 1946, when Art moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, and Earl opened the 1925-built Sebabastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon. PROVIDED BY NEWSPAPERS.COM USA TODAY Network, Reuters
In 1946, landscaping had been added to the Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon. The hotel was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said.
In 1946, landscaping had been added to the Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon. The hotel was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. PROVIDED BY NEWSPAPERS.COM USA TODAY Network, Reuters
The Sebastian history museum displays memorabilia of the 1925-built Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon and its Marine Room restaurant, Picture Window Cocktail Lounge and Earl's Bar and Package Store. The hotel was built on the Indian River Lagoon in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said.
The Sebastian history museum displays memorabilia of the 1925-built Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon and its Marine Room restaurant, Picture Window Cocktail Lounge and Earl's Bar and Package Store. The hotel was built on the Indian River Lagoon in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. PROVIDED BY SEBASTIAN AREA HISTO USA TODAY Network, Reuters
The Jungle Belle (pictured) and Leading Lady took Sebastian Inn guests on scenic boat tours of the Indian River Lagoon, St. Sebastian River and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. The hotel was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said.
The Jungle Belle (pictured) and Leading Lady took Sebastian Inn guests on scenic boat tours of the Indian River Lagoon, St. Sebastian River and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. The hotel was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. PROVIDED BY MIKE WOODFIN USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Trailer parks eventually were built north and south of the Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon. The hotel was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said.
Trailer parks eventually were built north and south of the Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon. The hotel was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. PROVIDED BY SEBASTIAN AREA HISTO USA TODAY Network, Reuters
The Sebastian Inn was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway bought the hotel in 1944, but closed the hotel portion circa 1950. The rest of the property, including Earl's Bar and Package Store, the Picture Window Cocktail Lounge and the Marine Room restaurant, was foreclosed and sold in 1955. That's when Earl and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said.
The Sebastian Inn was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway bought the hotel in 1944, but closed the hotel portion circa 1950. The rest of the property, including Earl's Bar and Package Store, the Picture Window Cocktail Lounge and the Marine Room restaurant, was foreclosed and sold in 1955. That's when Earl and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. PROVIDED BY MIKE WOODFIN USA TODAY Network, Reuters
The Altadena Hotel in Fort Pierce (pictured in this newspaper illustration) opened Jan. 5, 1925, and was the sister hotel of the Sebastian Inn opened Feb 18, 1926. Both hotels were built by Fort Pierce developer F.E. Gober and Macon, Georgia, engineer James Robert Odom, who built many hotels throughout Florida and Georgia during the 1925 real estate boom. Gober and Odom also built the adjacent Altadena subdivision. Built on the hill at Avenue H and Seventh Street, the 50-room Spanish-Mediterranean Altadena Hotel "commands a magnificent view" of the Indian River Lagoon and the port, harbor, inlet and causeway, the newspaper reported. For six years, the Altadena was owned by Alto Adams, W.H. Haines and the family that operated it, Mrs. Viola Hughes and her son, Nat. Adams also built his two-story house on the southeast corner, but it was razed in the 1980s. Grandson Mike Adams said the family doesn't have a photo of that house. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the Sebastian Inn from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said.
The Altadena Hotel in Fort Pierce (pictured in this newspaper illustration) opened Jan. 5, 1925, and was the sister hotel of the Sebastian Inn opened Feb 18, 1926. Both hotels were built by Fort Pierce developer F.E. Gober and Macon, Georgia, engineer James Robert Odom, who built many hotels throughout Florida and Georgia during the 1925 real estate boom. Gober and Odom also built the adjacent Altadena subdivision. Built on the hill at Avenue H and Seventh Street, the 50-room Spanish-Mediterranean Altadena Hotel "commands a magnificent view" of the Indian River Lagoon and the port, harbor, inlet and causeway, the newspaper reported. For six years, the Altadena was owned by Alto Adams, W.H. Haines and the family that operated it, Mrs. Viola Hughes and her son, Nat. Adams also built his two-story house on the southeast corner, but it was razed in the 1980s. Grandson Mike Adams said the family doesn't have a photo of that house. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the Sebastian Inn from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. PROVIDED BY NEWSPAPERS.COM USA TODAY Network, Reuters
The Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years to include a gas station (short middle building) and Marine Terrace restaurant (far right). Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar and Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said.
The Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years to include a gas station (short middle building) and Marine Terrace restaurant (far right). Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar and Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. PROVIDED BY SEBASTIAN AREA HISTO USA TODAY Network, Reuters
This circa 1940s photo shows the Sebastian Inn staff with a man on the far right and a woman in the center in the blue dress, who may have been the owners, managers or guests. The hotel on the Indian River Lagoon was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said.
This circa 1940s photo shows the Sebastian Inn staff with a man on the far right and a woman in the center in the blue dress, who may have been the owners, managers or guests. The hotel on the Indian River Lagoon was built in 1925, opened in 1926, and expanded northward over the years. Earl Roberts of Earl's Hideaway owned the hotel from 1944-55. That's when he and life partner Grace Martin, the hotel assistant manager and restaurant hostess, moved Earl's Bar & Package Store from the hotel to '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. PROVIDED BY SEBASTIAN AREA HISTO USA TODAY Network, Reuters
This circa 1960s photo is one of only two TCPalm could find of Grace Marie Dixon Powers Martin (far right behind bar in blue dress and signature red hair), who owned Earl's Hideaway from 1965 until she died in 1973. Grace's first husband in 1918 was Sammy Powers, who was on the inaugural 1919 Green Bay Packers through 1921 and played in four NFL games. Though Earl never divorced wife Beatrice nor married Grace, she was called "Mrs." and his "wife." They knew each other from the famous Showboat big-band dance palace Earl built in New York in 1930. They moved to New Smyrna Beach in 1942 and Sebastian in 1946. The original Earl's Bar and Package Store was in the Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon, built in 1925 and opened in 1926. Earl bought the hotel in 1944, but didn't reopen until after the Navy vacated in 1946, having immediately commandeered it for WWII barracks. They lived in the hotel and Grace was assistant manager and restaurant hostess. After the hotel was foreclosed and sold in 1955, the couple moved the bar '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. In 1960, they co-leased a bar, restaurant and two cottages at 1405 Indian River Drive, where they lived. In 1965, Grace bought the property; the state liquor license was in her name; and they soon renamed the bar Earl's Hideaway. When Earl and Grace moved to a Melbourne nursing home in 1972, the bar was run by her daughter, Jeanne Dorothy Powers Braley Kelly Johnson. Jeanne's father and Grace's first husband in 1918 was Samuel "Sam or Sammy" Richard Powers, who was on the inaugural Green Bay Packers from 1919-21. Jeanne ran the bar with son Tim Kelly until she sold it in 1977.
This circa 1960s photo is one of only two TCPalm could find of Grace Marie Dixon Powers Martin (far right behind bar in blue dress and signature red hair), who owned Earl's Hideaway from 1965 until she died in 1973. Grace's first husband in 1918 was Sammy Powers, who was on the inaugural 1919 Green Bay Packers through 1921 and played in four NFL games. Though Earl never divorced wife Beatrice nor married Grace, she was called "Mrs." and his "wife." They knew each other from the famous Showboat big-band dance palace Earl built in New York in 1930. They moved to New Smyrna Beach in 1942 and Sebastian in 1946. The original Earl's Bar and Package Store was in the Sebastian Inn on the Indian River Lagoon, built in 1925 and opened in 1926. Earl bought the hotel in 1944, but didn't reopen until after the Navy vacated in 1946, having immediately commandeered it for WWII barracks. They lived in the hotel and Grace was assistant manager and restaurant hostess. After the hotel was foreclosed and sold in 1955, the couple moved the bar '3/4 miles north on left,' a sign said. In 1960, they co-leased a bar, restaurant and two cottages at 1405 Indian River Drive, where they lived. In 1965, Grace bought the property; the state liquor license was in her name; and they soon renamed the bar Earl's Hideaway. When Earl and Grace moved to a Melbourne nursing home in 1972, the bar was run by her daughter, Jeanne Dorothy Powers Braley Kelly Johnson. Jeanne's father and Grace's first husband in 1918 was Samuel "Sam or Sammy" Richard Powers, who was on the inaugural Green Bay Packers from 1919-21. Jeanne ran the bar with son Tim Kelly until she sold it in 1977. PROVIDED BY EARL'S USA TODAY Network, Reuters

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 8:46 AM.