Community Sunday Favorites: Grapefruit Fit for a King

At one time, the largest grapefruit grove in the world was in Manavista, just east of Palmetto. In 1892, Kimball C. Atwood purchased 2,645 acres on the Manatee River and employed 500 men to clear the land. The finished grove was touted to comprise 96 miles of grapefruit. Five artesian wells supplied the grove with irrigation. The Atwood brand became popular all over the United States and in Europe and pink grapefruit was first discovered within its expansive boundaries.

At the Atwood Grapefruit Co. packinghouse, steamers would pick up cargo at the end of a quarter-mile-long pier, which was wide enough for two wagons to pass. On top of the packinghouse, the cupola served as an observation tower. A lookout would sound a conch shell to alert workers to prepare for an incoming ship.

Born in 1853, in Backfield Maine, Kimball C. Atwood grew up in a small, rural town. The end of the Civil War had provided a new hope for those on the cusp of adulthood and Atwood foresaw a great deal of opportunity in his future. He first settled in New York City and opened an insurance company, but his restless spirit prevented him from staying. The industrial components of big cities often contributed to failing health. Like many others of his time, Atwood arranged a trip to Florida in the winter of 1890 to recuperate his well-being. When he saw the beautiful Manatee River for the first time, he decided to relocate.

Workers pick grapefruit in the Atwood grove. Photo: Manatee Historical Archives

When he purchased the property and planned to cultivate it for 16,000 plants, area farmers never thought he could clear the lush Florida brush, let alone market that much produce. It took the workers months to clear the oak, pines and cabbage palms. At times, the task seemed overwhelming. Then disaster struck. In the winter of 1894-1895, a freeze that originated in the mid-west swept over Florida. Temperatures dropped into the teens for several hours and a once-thriving industry was almost completely destroyed. It would be 20 years before it could be replenished. The freeze delayed Atwood’s plans, but by 1897 his dream was finally accomplished.

Atwood’s company thrived. Years of diligent care combined with rich Manatee County soil produced the greatest results in the nation. The most modern machinery was purchased and by 1915, the Atwoods were exporting 1,200 boxes of grapefruit each day.

In 1910, a historic event occurred in the grove. A field foreman named B. Foster cut open a grapefruit to accompany his bagged lunch. He was astonished to find it was a bright pink inside. Atwood unfortunately wanted nothing to do with the discovery.

”Pink grapefruit would be about as popular than an egg with a green yolk,“ he’d say, according to his grandson in a 1978 interview with the Manatee Historical Society.

Of course, people did desire to purchase the pink grapefruit, and propagation of this tree became the basis of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas where the climate turns the inside a much deeper pink.

Most of the citrus varieties we are used to today came from China, Indo China and Malayan Archipelago. These areas were cultivating sweet oranges long Before Common Era (BCE).  The spread of the fruit worldwide was accomplished by conquerors, from Alexander the Great in third century B.C., to Genghis Khan, 1500 years later. By the time Christopher Columbus came along, citrus had spread all across southern Europe and were particularly prominent in Spain and Portugal, which is how citrus arrived in the New World (remember Florida was owned by Spain back then). Crops were particularly successful in the warm Florida climate. 

The citrus, which arrived in Florida with the Ponce de Leon expedition in 1513, was primarily oranges. Early introductions of grapefruit, or palmelo, were dry, thick-skinned and too sour in taste. The tree served mainly ornamental purposes, and therefore wasn’t shipped to the new world. However, in the 1640s, an English sea captain introduced it to Jamaica. Jamaicans mutated the seedlings and a much sweeter and succulent fruit was born.

A Spanish nobleman is rumored to have made the first Florida plantings of this new fruit in 1808 in Pinellas County, near present-day Safety Harbor. His new sample was a hit among area residents and he  would often give seeds to anyone who expressed an interest in growing it. By the time Florida became part of United States in 1821, there was an influx of northerners eager to purchase property and make their fortune on the newest fruit frontier. 

Florida became the first commercial grapefruit producer. The first commercial shipments arrived in New York in the 1880's.

The Atwood grove continued to be productive. It reached its peak in 1927 and remained in Kimball Atwood’s possession until his death in 1936. His family kept the property until 1968.

Sources:

”Atwood Grapefruit Company Membership Meeting,“ address given by Charles Atwood April 19, 1978. Transcribed by Libby Warner, Manatee County Historical Society.

”The Singing River,“ by Joe Warner. Copyright 1986 by Printing Professionals and Publishers Inc., Bradenton Fla.