Anchor: Amanda Hall
•6/17/2026
MOORE HAVEN, Fla. (WINK) — Moore Haven may seem like a quiet town tucked along the southwest shore of Lake Okeechobee, but a closer look reveals a community with a rich history far bigger than its size.
Long before it became the Moore Haven many know now, it stood at the center of a growing frontier along Lake Okeechobee, known as the liquid heart of the area. Historian Leigh Woodham knows it well.
"Moore Haven was already an established community. It was actually the first city around Lake Okeechobee," Woodham said.
Founded in the early 1900s, the city quickly became a hub for settlers drawn to its fertile farmland. As farms flourished beneath the soil, in the sunshine, and in perfect year-round temperatures, so did Moore Haven.
"Farming was the main way of life. There was a bank, a post office, and a main little business district called Park Avenue," Woodham said.
By the mid-1920s, the town was booming and became known as Florida's "Little Chicago."
"Moore Haven at that time had three banks; they had a hotel, it was the biggest city south of Orlando," former Glades County Commissioner Butch Jones said.
But Mother Nature would upend those plans. Hurricanes in 1926 and 1928 brought torrential rain and fierce winds that whipped the lake's waters over its muck banks, claimed lives, and devastated property.
Those storms changed Moore Haven forever, reshaping the landscape and the community. Markers and old newspaper articles serve as reminders of what nature stole from the area.
But Jones knows the area's greatest strength remains untouched.
"What you saw then is what you see now, is people care for people," Jones said.
That spirit still defines Moore Haven. The town's sign says it all: "Small Town. Big Lake. Great People."
WINK Listens is preparing to visit Moore Haven on Thursday. The event will be held at the Doyle Conner Building at U.S. 27 and 9th Street in Moore Haven from 3 to 7 p.m. We hope to see you there!
