In the late 1800s, the farming district located between the Pimpama River and the Logan River called Pimpama Island encompassed the present-day localities of Jacobs Well, Norwell, Steiglitz and Woongoolba and was a place that hard-working German and English farmers called home. It was referred to as an island because there were several lagoons and swamps that isolated the area during the wet season; however, this feature also made it good land for growing sugar cane.
The bountiful natural waterways have grown the traditional farming district to also include fishing as one of the primary industries.
There are a number of different theories about the origins of the name Jacobs Well.
1. The area was possibly named after the 'Jacobs Well' in the Bible, so called after Jacob, son of Isaac in the Bible. Book of Genesis: Chapter 29: Verses 1, 2 and 10. Oliver Riesenweber, a descendant of pioneer settlers, believed that British settlers named the well in the early 1880s after the Bible reference.
2. It was named after the eldest son of Johann Gottlieb Gross, a pioneer and early settler of Pimpama Island in the early 1860s. His son found a well whilst hunting and fishing with friends and the well was named after him. This account of the naming of Jacobs Well was signed by B.E. Mondientz and was presented to the Albert Shire Council in July 1971.
3. In April 1872 a visitor to the area wrote that the well was a round waterhole surrounded by ferns. The place name Jacobs Well was widely in use by this time. (Queenslander 20/3/1873)
