Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: In 1899 the Tasker family purchased this block and built a house on the southwest corner. Phoebe A. Verrill bought the house in 1909 and sold it to the Cason family in 1921. The Casons converted the house into apartments and c.1924 built a second modest frame vernacular house on the block’s east corner, known today as Cason Cottage. Although modest, the cottage exhibits the excellent craftsmanship and details typical of many early Delray Beach homes. The Cason family played a major role in the development of South Florida. The Rev. J. R. Cason, who moved to Florida in 1905, was a founder of the first Florida orphanage at Enterprise in Volusia County. He was a community leader, serving as a municipal judge and Chairman of the Palm Beach County Board of Public Instruction. Cason United Methodist Church, located at 342 North Swinton Avenue, is named in his honor. Since 1989, the Delray Beach Historical Society has operated Cason Cottage as a house museum to help interpret the history of Delray Beach from 1915-1935.