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C+History
History · Sebastian

Sebastian dates to 1882, and 5 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #124 of 638 in Florida. What drives it

Most of Sebastian was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 28 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1949 on, and the census since 1930.

1882founded
5on the National Register
0.1%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sebastian’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sebastian began

When was Sebastian founded?

1882

Sebastian dates its founding to 1882 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 386 in 19302020 census: 25,054144 years

How historic is Sebastian?

C+

More historic than 38% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Sebastian’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sebastian is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #124 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sebastian’s overall grade.
Founding era1882, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19400.1% of homes (±0.2) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register5 listings, 33 historic buildings, 12.6 per 10,000 residents · typical FL town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 38%
NewerOlder
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 81%

Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Sebastian’s 12.6 sits above most of its state (86% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 33 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1882.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Sebastian’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages4 hamlets and corners are still on the map.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sebastian’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sebastian’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCotton Motor Co. sign: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Sebastian’s post office has been open since 1884.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Fischer's Corner Trailer ParkPalm Lake Club Mobile Home ParkPark Place Mobile Home ParkShady Rest Mobile Home Park
1cemetery inside Sebastian
Sebastian Municipal

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the National Register

5 listings protect 33 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
33
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Bamma Vickers Lawson House
Bamma Vickers Lawson House, built 1911Smith, Archie, Wholesale Fish CompanySebastian Grammar and Junior High SchoolOld Town Sebastian Historic District EastOld Town Sebastian Historic District, West
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Frame Vernacular3
Masonry Vernacular2
Modern2
Vernacular1
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals1
Mediterranean Revival1
Bamma Vickers Lawson HouseFrame Vernacular · Built 1911
Smith, Archie, Wholesale Fish CompanyVernacular
Sebastian Grammar and Junior High SchoolLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals
Old Town Sebastian Historic District EastFrame Vernacular
Old Town Sebastian Historic District, WestFrame Vernacular

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Sebastian came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sebastian.

Read it all →

In 1715, several Spanish ships loaded with treasure (known as the 1715 Treasure Fleet) encountered a storm off the shores of the Treasure Coast and were lost. It is estimated that only a portion of the sunken treasure has been found. The value placed on the treasure lost from the 1715 fleet has been estimated at more than US$500 million. A significant portion of the treasure was discovered by Mel Fisher, who established a permanent museum in Sebastian in 1992.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sebastian, 1882 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882
    FoundingSebastian is established
  3. 1884Post officeThe Sebastian post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1911BuiltBamma Vickers Lawson House is built
  6. 1939Born hereJim Gary is born here
  7. 1949On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1986Born hereBryan Augenstein is born here
  9. 1990In the archiveCotton Motor Co. sign
By decade

Sebastian, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Cotton Motor Co. sign1990Cotton Motor Co. sign
Today10 recent
Oyster point bay resort2010Oyster point bay resortOyster point2010Oyster point2010 Census Urbanized Area Reference Map for Sebastian--Vero Beach South--Florida Ridge, Florida20102010 Census Urbanized Area Reference Map for Sebastia…BookFEMA - 10699 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 09-11-2004 in Florida2004FEMA - 10699 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 10532 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 09-08-2004 in Florida2004FEMA - 10532 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 10530 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 09-08-2004 in Florida2004FEMA - 10530 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 10507 - Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino taken on 09-08-2004 in Florida2004FEMA - 10507 - Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino taken …FEMA - 10505 - Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino taken on 09-08-2004 in Florida2004FEMA - 10505 - Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino taken …FEMA - 10503 - Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino taken on 09-08-2004 in Florida2004FEMA - 10503 - Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino taken …FEMA - 10500 - Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino taken on 09-08-2004 in Florida2004FEMA - 10500 - Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino taken …
On the map

Sebastian on the map, 1949 to 1970

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sebastian. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Sebastian on the 1949 USGS mapSebastian on the 1951 USGS mapSebastian on the 1970 USGS map1949Sebastian sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sebastian.

People over time

Sebastian, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,0001940196019802000202025,054

Grew from 386 people in 1930 to 25,054 in 2020, more than tenfold.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sebastian’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Sebastian

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Bryan AugensteinAmerican college baseball player, Major League … · b. 1986
Jim GaryAmerican sculptor · b. 1939
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Roseland1 historic placeA−WabassoIts storyD

Questions about Sebastian’s history

What year was Sebastian founded?

In 1882, according to Wikidata. Sebastian’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1930 counted 386 people here.

How does Sebastian rank for history?

Sebastian is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #124 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Sebastian?

5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Bamma Vickers Lawson House (listed 1990, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Old Town Sebastian Historic District East and the Old Town Sebastian Historic District, West, with 28 contributing buildings. 33 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Sebastian?

0.1% of Sebastian’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1995.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.