West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
People, Pictures and News From the Past
Where is West Palm Beach, Florida, USA? West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Florida, USA
The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity "Lake Worth Country." These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original townsite, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth.
The original spelling of the city was "Westpalmbeach", but it was feared that the 13-letter word would be an ominous omen for the fledgling community. On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida.wikipedia
West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Poinsettia Hotel
West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
The Holland House
West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Seaboard Station
History / News
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(West Palm Beach) When Henry Morrison Flagler first came here in 1893, he called the Lake Worth region "a veritable paradise" and decided upon a dual plan for the area.
He would turn Palm Beach into a resort and he would build a commercial city across the lake for his ...Read MORE...
He would turn Palm Beach into a resort and he would build a commercial city across the lake for his ...Read MORE...
November 1894 - West Palm Beach incorporated.
On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at ...Read MORE...
On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at ...Read MORE...
1906
West Palmbeach, a banking city and resort of Dade co., Fla., on the Florida East Coast R., adjacent ...Read MORE...
West Palmbeach, a banking city and resort of Dade co., Fla., on the Florida East Coast R., adjacent ...Read MORE...
1928 - HurricaneTell of Seeing Storm.
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Muskoff, Jr., are back in Jacksonville after watching ...Read MORE...
The West Palm Beach metropolitan area was the fourth fastest growing area in the United States between 1950 and 1960.
www.westpalmbeach.com
www.westpalmbeach.com
(West Palm Beach) The first TV station WIRK (Channel 21) came to town in 1953.
www.westpalmbeach.com
www.westpalmbeach.com
On October 29, 1966, the main terminal at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach was dedicated.
www.westpalmbeach.com
www.westpalmbeach.com
Ancestors Who Were Born Here
Ancestors Who Died Here
We currently have information about 54 ancestors who died in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA.
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View Them Now (sorted by last name) View Them Now (sorted by year of death)
Ancestors Who Were Married Here
Cemeteries in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
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