South Brevard Historical Society

Established 1966

Home

March 3 home tour

History of SBHS

Membership

Photos of Interest

Clippings

Newsletters

2012 newsletters

2011 newsletters

2010 Newsletters

Meetings and Activities

Articles of Interest

Van Eeghen Murders 1955

Isabel Clohecy

Publications

Local Exhibits and Events

Scrapbook

Links

History Organizations

Local History links

Local Walking Tours

Clippings
From the June 15th, 1986 Orlando Sentinel

Q.  Where is the Great Lagoon of the Ais in Brevard?

A.  In 1605 a Spanish solder named Mexia mapped what he called the Great Lagoon of the Ais, named after the Ais Indians who first inhabited Brevard County.  Spanish settlers subsequently called it the Ais Lagoon on their maps.  Fred Hopwood, A Melbourne historian, believes that a Doctor Phillipi named it the Indian River in 1820, about the time the Spanish ceded Florida to the United States.  Today, it is commonly referred to as the Indian River Lagoon, where fresh and salt water meet to form a brackish estuary.