Old Melbourne
Editorial

What 'Old Melbourne' means

What this site covers: Melbourne and Eau Gallie from the freedmen who settled on Crane Creek in 1867 and the 1888 town charter, through the railroad, the river trades and the space-age boom, to the 1969 consolidation of the two cities.

By The Old Melbourne Team Updated October 13, 2026
Crane Creek in Melbourne, Florida, in the early 1900s.
Crane Creek, Melbourne's harbor, in the early 1900s. Brevard County Historical Commission via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

“Old Melbourne” is the city’s documented past, and it runs through two towns. According to the National Register nomination for Green Gables, Melbourne’s first settlers were freedmen who came to Crane Creek in 1867, and the town was incorporated on December 22, 1888. Eau Gallie, its neighbor to the north, grew up separately until the two were consolidated in 1969.

This site covers Melbourne’s founding, Eau Gallie, William Gleason, the railroad, the fish and ice trades, Front Street and the 1919 fire, Brevard Engineering College, the 1969 merger, the 2004 hurricanes and the lagoon.

It isn’t a news site or a travel guide. Corrections and pointers to primary records are welcome through the contact page.

Sources

  1. National Park Service, National Register Registration Form: Green Gables, Melbourne (2016)

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