Our Local History: Railroads to Rural Routes – The Grunwell Family

Despite skeptics, the Overseas Railroad to Key West was completed in 1912.

At the time, Benjamin Grunwell was a conductor for the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). He and his wife, Olive, had connections in Homestead. Family history says they were involved with a small group of people at the forefront of the 1920s Great Florida Land Boom.

Although they primarily bought and sold property, in 1914 they decided to keep a parcel at the northwest corner of Redland and Bauer roads.

They built a small house that was little more than an apartment at first. It was finished later, after they moved to Homestead in 1924 with their six-month-old son, George.

It was a busy time. In 1924, Olive opened the Redland Grocery store, which she ran until the 1930s. Benjamin left the FEC in 1928 after an unusual family event occurred.

The Grunwell daughters attended the historic Redland School, and it was apparently common for siblings to attend the first day together. Four-year-old George went along. The details of exactly what happened are unclear, but he was enrolled in first grade. He graduated at age 16 and went on to Tech High in Miami to become a draftsman. He earned extra money driving a school bus until officials discovered he was only 16.

George later joined the Navy, a branch he chose because, as he put it, “you always had your bed and a kitchen with you.” He married Agnes Sharon Fulcher in 1948.

Although he became an architect, he chose not to join a firm. Instead, he began a new career as one of the first three postmen in Homestead.

At that time, there was no house-to-house mail delivery because homes had no numbers. The Rotary Club took on the project of assigning addresses. Over the years, Grunwell rose through the ranks and was eventually designated postmaster. He held the position until 1980.

It became something of a family affair. His wife worked as a clerk and later as a rural route carrier. She served at the post office from 1950 to 1982, with only a two-year break after the birth of their son, Michael.

Their daughter, Karon, born in 1954, grew up in Redland with her brother and attended several local schools. She remembers early classes in what was called the “Country House” at “Red’s Kindergarten,” established by Ophelia Utley Fuchs, daughter of Charlie Fuchs.

Even though she was only eight in 1962, Karon recalls how startled Redland neighbors were to suddenly see Cuban soldiers marching nearby. Some residents already knew about Camp Happy, a military installation that included the so-called “CIA House,” where soldiers were preparing for the day they could return to Cuba. Tanks, missiles, and other equipment poured into the area. George Grunwell was working at the post office at Homestead Air Force Base at the time, and his calm demeanor reassured the family as tensions rose during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Industrious from a young age, Karon was in the 11th grade at South Dade High School while taking classes at Miami-Dade Junior College. She also worked part time with Ph.D. students from Purdue University who were conducting genetics research on corn. She learned that labor-intensive pollination, done correctly, could yield up to three harvests per season. Her future, however, was not in agriculture.

She joined the Postal Service in 1973 and, for a time, overlapped with her parents in that career. Over the years, she worked in several locations, including Key Largo, Key Biscayne, Goulds, Kendall, and Homestead. Eventually, as associate office coordinator, she oversaw operations across three counties — from Pompano Beach to Key West.

Along the way, she encountered unusual challenges, including the ongoing Unabomber threats and later the anthrax scare. She worked with the FBI and other agencies and was trained in specialized detection equipment and techniques.

Hurricane Andrew’s destructive path in 1992 brought her from Kendall back to Homestead, where postal workers operated out of trailers while facilities were rebuilt. Thousands of parcels arrived as people shipped necessities to storm victims. Despite being a supervisor, she pitched in wherever needed. “We all did what had to get done,” she recalled.

Few romantic stories are associated with the hurricane, but her 1993 marriage to Edmund John “Buck” Buckley is one of them. They had actually met in third grade at Redland Elementary. After going separate ways, they occasionally crossed paths before reconnecting during the 1991 holidays.

“Andrew made me realize how quickly you could lose everything,” Buck said when he proposed.

Strong family involvement with the First Baptist Church of Perrine — especially through choir and music programs — was another common thread.

Ironically, George Grunwell’s early bus-driving experience resurfaced later in life when he began driving the church’s Greyhound bus for trips organized for seniors. Not to be left out, his wife obtained her CDL so she could help with the driving.

These are only some of the family’s stories. Dedicated to preserving local history, the Grunwells have been involved with the Pioneer Museum in Florida City for decades. Karon became president of the museum’s board of directors in 2018, and many of her grandfather’s railroad memorabilia can be seen there.