The Barefoot Mailman Statue
While near Hillsboro Beach, Florida, your group should really take the time to check out The Barefoot Mailman Statue, the bronzed statue paying homage to the 11 barefoot mailmen who carried mail between Palm Beach and Miami in the late 1800s.
The men who carried this mail were famously barefoot while working, having to traverse mainly sandy beach to reach their destinations. One mailman, in particular, is honored with this statue, that man being James 'Ed' Hamilton, who disappeared in 1887 near the Hillsboro Beach Inlet. Rumor has it Ed was swept away by a strong current while swimming a portion of his route or he was eaten by alligators common to the area.
The original statue was created in 1973, eventually moved to the City Hall to be replaced by a bronzed statue sit on the Hillsboro Lighthouse Inlet, overlooking the area thought to hold his remains. The original statue has more recently been acquired by a local company by the name of Dixie Divers, who have placed the statue undersea as an artificial reef and dive destination, sunk just north of the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier.
