The Stuart Welcome Arch (also known as the 1926 Welcome Arch or Rio-Jensen Beach Arch) is an historic arch

Arch

An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...

-shaped structure which straddles State Road 707

State Road 707 (Florida)

State Road 707 is the Florida Department of Transportation designation of a stretch of the former Dixie Highway between Stuart and Jensen Beach in Martin County, Florida. Although sometimes called Old Dixie Highway, this is a misnomer because the present US 1 has always been called Federal...

 between 2369 and 2390 Northeast Dixie Highway in Jensen Beach

Jensen Beach, Florida

Jensen Beach is a census-designated place in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,100 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Port St...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. It was built in 1926 to mark what was then the town line between the town of Jensen to the north and the town of Stuart

Stuart, Florida

Stuart is the only incorporated city of Martin County, Florida, on Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 14,633 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 15,964....

 to the south. During the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, the town of Jensen went bankrupt and was dissolved, while the town (now City) of Stuart was forced to relinquish much of its territory north of the St. Lucie River

St. Lucie River

The St. Lucie River is a estuary in St. Lucie and Martin counties in the U.S. state of Florida. Its North Fork flows south from St Lucie County into Martin County where it joins the north-flowing South Fork, which was once called the Halpatiokee River, just south of the old Roosevelt Bridge in...

. Today it is located entirely within the unincorporated area of Martin County

Martin County, Florida

Martin County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 126,731. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county is 138,660. Its county seat is Stuart, Florida.- History :...

. It has been restored several times over the years. On September 15, 2004, it was added to the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.