George Brown came to the Peace River area in 1890 to work for a phosphate mining company. During the 1890s he was superintendent of buildings for the Desoto Phosphate Mining Company in Liverpool, near Arcadia. He later founded the Cleveland Steam Marine Ways where he built luxury yachts for the affluent white residents of Charlotte Harbor. Brown was an equal opportunity employer, hiring whites and blacks, and paying equal wages for equal skills. The building is now a recreation hall for a mobile home park.

Information provided by Florida Department of State.

Photo courtesy of Charlotte County Historical Center.