Brevard County Historical Boundaries

Brevard County Boundaries

(1821 - present)

By Betty Eichhorn

It is essential to know the county boundaries when doing research so as to look in the right courthouses or censuses.

  1821-1844 -  Florida Territory. Brevard was part of Mosquito County.

14 March 1844 -  The county called St. Lucie was created. (The 1850 census of Brevard is under the title St. Lucie. Do not confuse with the present-day St. Lucie County.)

3 Mar 1845 - Florida became the 27th State.

6 Jan 1855 - St. Lucie renames Brevard.

Brevard County covered a vast area with boundaries that changed several times. It included the eastern half of Polk, Highlands, Glades, and Palm Beach Counties and all of the present-day Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River Counties, and some to all of Osceola County and sometimes a part of Orange County. The northern part of Brevard would be in Orange and later Volusia County.

8 Feb 1862 - Polk County created, making the Kissimmee River Brevard’s western boundary.

8 Dec 1866 - Dade County created. 

Brevard lost all territory south of a line paralleling the northern shore of Lake Okeechobee, including most of Martin County except for a small portion in the northeast corner.

      19 Frb 1874 - Brevard lost Highlands County and most of Glades County.

      11 Mar 1879 - Northern boundary of present-day Brevard County established. 

Prior to this time, the northern boundary (including present-day Osceola County) moved up and down over the years.

    11 July 1887 - Osceola county established. 

Brevard lost the territory of present-day Osceola and Okeechobee Counties.

    1 July 1905 - St. Lucie County was created which established the southern boundary of Brevard.

  3 Nov 1959 - Brevard lost a small coastal area south of Sebastian Inlet to Indian River County.