Because there were no wells and the river water was brackish, the only supply of fresh water was the rain that poured from the steeply pitched roof and was collected and stored in the cistern east of house. A cypress tank held 12,000 gallons. Another tank of galvanized iron held an additional 5,000 gallons. There were no pumps. The tanks were cleaned once a year and were screened to keep out bugs, rats, and snakes. There was a surface well with a rope and bucket to water the garden.
The addition of a second story in 1903 included a bathroom, the first ever inside the house. This was installed as a convenience for Harry's parents, who spent the winters with him. The fixtures arrived by train along with a man to install them, who did so in one day. Water from the outside cistern was pumped by hand to the upstairs tank to provide pressure for the toilet and faucets. The 100-gallon tank was mounted on brackets and rested on the side of the house. The daily pumping was the children's chore.
Since there were no close neighbors or passers-by, there was no need for curtains or blinds. In summer, to keep out bugs, a sheer cotton fabric (lawn), which allowed for ventilation, was used for screening. Each morning the fabric and the floor were swept with palmetto fronds to remove the flies and mosquitoes.
Kerosene lamps and candles were the only means of artificial illumination. A wood-burning stove in the dining room provided warmth. The furniture was shipped by Harry's parents from New Jersey to New York City , then by the Clyde Steamship Line to Jacksonville , thence by the Florida East Coast Railway to the Jupiter loading dock, and finally rafted across the Inlet.
The family had a telescope and enjoyed reading the names of the ships that passed and waving to the crews.
CHRONOLOGY OF THE SITE AND HOUSE
1696 Here was the site of the Hoe-Bay village in which Jonathan Dickinson and his party were held captive, September 25-28. [JONATHAN DICKINSON]
1838 Following the Battle of the Loxahatchee on January 24, the Army incorporated all the land around the Inlet into the Fort Jupiter Reservation.
1884 The land on which the DuBois Home now stands was given free by the government on February 13th to William H. Gleason, most likely as part of a deal to drain the land and encourage homesteading. He was Jupiter's first real estate developer. His plans for a town and commercial district along the Celestial Railway Railway fell through when Henry Flagler put his railroad on the west side of what is today the Intracoastal Waterway and the Celestial Railway went bankrupt.
1898 Harry DuBois purchased the property from William H. and Sarah G. Gleason on February 28. The area was known locally as Stone's Point after a sea captain who was marooned there in his ship when the mouth of the Inlet silted closed. Harry called his property "the Banana Patch" and upon it built this house for his bride. She asked that the house be on the Inlet so she could see the boats and visit with people sailing by. Such opportunities helped her dispel feelings of isolation at a time when the population of Jupiter was less than 145 persons, not counting the Seminoles who lived to the west but often came to visit and trade.
1900 Population of Jupiter was 145.
1903 Harry and his father-in-law, Henry Sanders, added an open, unscreened porch and a second story with three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a water tank.
1917 A large portion of the midden was removed and sold for landfill. Much of Silver Beach Road in Lake Park was made from this. Through the years Harry and Susan sold more of the midden in order to supplement their income.
1919 Son John, aged 20, wired the house and installed a Kohler Electric Plant operated by a combustion engine generator.
1924 Harry DuBois died, March 14.
1925 Susan moved to West Palm Beach and thereafter rented the house, often to school teachers, to supplement her income. Son John and his wife, Bessie, who lived nearby, looked after the property.
1926 John DuBois opened his fishing camp.
1928 A hurricane blew out 28 panes of window glass and flooded the upstairs. John had to drill holes in the floor to drain off the water.
1929 Bessie DuBois opened her restaurant.
1930's During the Depression, the house was a retreat for up to 80 children (boys and girls alternating) who came for two weeks of fishing. The children were sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of West Palm Beach and the Salvation Army.