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Palm Beach
KNOWLEDGE OF Palm Beach
Before Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, the country was mostly uninhabitable. Seminole Indians were its prominent residents, living in harmony with the wilderness and its natural resources.
Few white settlers had succeeded in taming the harshness of the land. Those who did were either cattle ranchers or farmers. The Civil War played a major part in the territory’s development. Beef, pork, corn, and molasses were supplied to the southern armies, although union troops often blockaded routes. A series of Seminole Indian Wars were another challenge to new settlers attempting to establish homesteads.
After the Civil War, there began an unparalleled growth in American technology. Until the collapse of the stock market in 1929, this period saw the rise of industrial expansion that included railroads, automobiles, and oil production. It created a social class of such enormous wealth that is, even today, beyond our ability to comprehend. This was called the “Gilded Age.
Men of vision and determination such as Henry Flagler saw a golden opportunity to develop the east coast of Florida. After visiting the area, he became enamored with its temperate climate and saw that hotels and a good transportation system would lure winter visitors. In 1893 he purchased 140 acres on the Atlantic Ocean of what was then called Palm Beach, named because of the many cabbage palms that grew along the beach.
In 1894, Henry Flagler opened his first Palm Beach resort, The Royal Poinciana, on Lake Worth. At the time, it was the only oceanfront hotel south of Daytona Beach. Two years later, he built the Port of Palm Beach, consisting of a pier 1,000 feet long to accommodate steamships traveling to Nassau, Havana, and Key West. The city’s first volunteer fire department was organized. Its members were called the “Flagler Alerts. Fire fighting equipment in those days was purchased through community fundraisers.
To keep his golfing guests happy, Henry Flagler then added the first 9 hole course in Florida, along with The Poinciana Golf Clubhouse. Today, it is the location of the Centennial restaurant in The Breakers Hotel, the name taken on by The Royal Poinciana. Legend has it that guests kept requesting a room “by the breakers, referring to the oceanfront accommodations.
By the turn of the century, Palm Beach was celebrated as the winter vacation grounds for the wealthy. The Royal Poinciana resort was enlarged to twice its size. In 1900, the foundation for the Flagler estate, Whitehall, was laid, opening in 1902.
Few white settlers had succeeded in taming the harshness of the land. Those who did were either cattle ranchers or farmers. The Civil War played a major part in the territory’s development. Beef, pork, corn, and molasses were supplied to the southern armies, although union troops often blockaded routes. A series of Seminole Indian Wars were another challenge to new settlers attempting to establish homesteads.
After the Civil War, there began an unparalleled growth in American technology. Until the collapse of the stock market in 1929, this period saw the rise of industrial expansion that included railroads, automobiles, and oil production. It created a social class of such enormous wealth that is, even today, beyond our ability to comprehend. This was called the “Gilded Age.
Men of vision and determination such as Henry Flagler saw a golden opportunity to develop the east coast of Florida. After visiting the area, he became enamored with its temperate climate and saw that hotels and a good transportation system would lure winter visitors. In 1893 he purchased 140 acres on the Atlantic Ocean of what was then called Palm Beach, named because of the many cabbage palms that grew along the beach.
In 1894, Henry Flagler opened his first Palm Beach resort, The Royal Poinciana, on Lake Worth. At the time, it was the only oceanfront hotel south of Daytona Beach. Two years later, he built the Port of Palm Beach, consisting of a pier 1,000 feet long to accommodate steamships traveling to Nassau, Havana, and Key West. The city’s first volunteer fire department was organized. Its members were called the “Flagler Alerts. Fire fighting equipment in those days was purchased through community fundraisers.
To keep his golfing guests happy, Henry Flagler then added the first 9 hole course in Florida, along with The Poinciana Golf Clubhouse. Today, it is the location of the Centennial restaurant in The Breakers Hotel, the name taken on by The Royal Poinciana. Legend has it that guests kept requesting a room “by the breakers, referring to the oceanfront accommodations.
By the turn of the century, Palm Beach was celebrated as the winter vacation grounds for the wealthy. The Royal Poinciana resort was enlarged to twice its size. In 1900, the foundation for the Flagler estate, Whitehall, was laid, opening in 1902.
Chapi