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Palm Beach County schoolchildren have the day off on the same day as Indigenous Peoples Day

Posted on by Vanessa
Palm Beach County schoolchildren have the day off on the same day as Indigenous Peoples Day

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Even after Hurricane Milton, it's going to be a long weekend for Palm Beach County schoolchildren – and their parents. The children have Monday off as the teachers have a professional development day.

So teachers will work at the schools.

Monday is also Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day.

They are separate holidays that are intertwined. Both were declared federal holidays on the second Monday in October — Columbus Day in 1937 by then-President Franklin Roosevelt and Indigenous Peoples Day a year ago by President Joe Biden.

More: The calendar is set for the 2025-26 school year. Important dates and holidays for Palm Beach County students

Columbus Day commemorates the voyages of Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer who was the first European to land in the Western Hemisphere. It is a long-standing celebration of Italian-American heritage and culture.

In recent years, some states have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.

Columbus' expeditions marked the beginning of centuries of enslavement and genocide against Native Americans. In particular, its occupation brought disease and slavery to the indigenous people of the island of Hispanola (where the Dominican Republic and Haiti are located).

Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates the customs and culture of Native Americans in the United States, many of whom were killed, forcibly displaced, and enslaved during the “conquest” of the West.

Biden declared Indigenous Peoples Day in October 2023 to commemorate the “resilience, strength and endurance, and a source of incredible contributions” of Native Americans.

More: The Pilgrims did not invite the Native Americans to a feast. Why the Thanksgiving Myth Matters.

Here are some ways to learn more about Native Americans in Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County has a number of places to learn about its indigenous people and explore on Indigenous Peoples Day:

DuBois Park and the Jaega Tribe

DuBois Park – Jupiter Park was once home to the Jaega tribe. The DuBois House stands on one of the most famous remains of ancient peoples in Palm Beach County – Jaega Mound.

Known as the Rubbish Heap, the mound contains remnants of shells and other debris.

The Jaega took Jonathan Dickinson and his Quaker group hostage for several days after they were shipwrecked off the coast in 1696. Less than ten years later, the Jaega were decimated by English slave traders. They hid in the Keys and sought refuge in Cuba along with other native Floridians, but most were wiped out by disease.

The DuBois Pioneer Home, owned by the well-known pioneer DuBois family, is also open for tours.

Address: 19075 DuBois Road, Jupiter

Jupiter Lighthouse – See Native American artifacts

Learn about the Jaega Tribe on the other side of Jupiter Inlet at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum in DuBois Park. There you will also learn more about the history of local Indian tribes such as the Jaega and their encounters with Spanish explorers.

The museum displays their artifacts found in the Jupiter Inlet area, including stone tools, pottery, and jewelry made from shells and bones.

Address: 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter

More: A visual tour of Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse through the years

Loxahatchee Battlefield and the Seminoles

The Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park marks the Seminole tribe's resistance against American settlers and troops during the Second Seminole War.

Both Battles of Loxhatchee took place in the park or nearby in 1838.

The first battle on January 15 was initiated by an Army-Navy force known as the Everglades Expeditionary Unit, led by Marine Lt. Levin Powell. The amphibious unit was hunting Seminole villages.

Troops captured a Seminole woman and forced her to lead her to her village about five miles downstream of the Loxahatchee River. Powell's men attacked the Seminole warriors in the swamp. So many officers, including Powell, were wounded that their subordinates fled.

Joseph E. Johnston, who later served as commander-in-chief of the Confederacy during the Civil War, managed to rally the troops and prevent a massacre.

In the second battle, nine days later on January 24, Maj. Gen. Thomas Jessup led a massive force of 1,500 men from Fort Pierce to fight the same warriors.

The warriors managed to hold off Jessup's forces and retreat further into the Everglades.

The park features a one-mile trail with historical markers and a recreated Seminole Village in nearby Riverbend Park.

Address: 9060 Indiantown Road, Jupiter.

The last days off from school in 2024

The next day off for students is November 5th, Election Day, as many public schools are also polling places.

The last holidays of the year are Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hannukkah and Kwanzaa.

Holly Baltz is investigative editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at [email protected].

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