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Home My WebLink About50th Anniversary bookletThe 54th Znnivcrury oT THE VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH Incorporated August 13, 1956 alk Bri dge Over the Earman River in Price: $3.00 Introduction North Palm Beach was incorporated • August 13, 1956. • • This Historical Booklet, written by Charlotte • Chickering, and published in 2006, is a follow- ; up to 'The 25th Anniversary of the Village of • North Palm Beach - An Official History' written • by William Young, and published in July, 1981. Charlotte has been a resident of the Village since • 1980 and a resident of Florida since 1960. The • booklet includes some of the earlier history of our area that was not included in Mr. Young's • document. • A copy of Mr. Young's document was buried in . a time capsule in front of the library in 1981. In • 2006, a similar time capsule with this Historical Booklet will be buried beside it. This Booklet . includes dates of Palm Beach County events • that significantly affected our Village formation. Charlotte's hope is that Village residents will take . this Booklet home and refer to it with pride in our • community (which will henceforth be referred to as NPB and Palm Beach County will be abbreviated . as PBC). Charlotte acknowledges the help she received . from the following people: • Joan Aubrey, Ted Brown, Sr., Dorothy Gooding, • Lulu McLaren-Nelson, Nancy Moore, John Morsut, . Charles O'Meilia, Jack Schwencke, Ann Burton • (editing, computing), Roy Hill (proofreading), and • Dianna Craven (layout and design). • L _ • Chapter I Highlights of South Florida's Early History (750-1901) • • A Florida Atlantic University archeologist's team speculated that Indian middens uncovered • around Jupiter Inlet date from 5000 BC to 750 • AD. The total population of Indians in Florida • was estimated to be between 100,000 and 900,000. • • 1521 ...Ponce de Leon christened his newly discovered peninsula, Florida, named after the • Spanish words for PASCUA FLORIDA (Passover • Feast of the Flowers) (6). • • 1513 ...Ponce de Leon crossed from the • Bahamas into the mouth of the St. Johns River ▪ and claimed Florida for Spain. A week later • he sailed south and entered the Jupiter Inlet • where he was met by hostile Florida Native Americans. These unfriendly Indians robbed his ship of provisions. The explorer left Jupiter very discouraged after only a few weeks (10). The first pioneers who settled in Florida from Spain were farmers, cattle ranchers, and Dominican, Franciscan and Jesuit missionary priests. The ships that carried these emigrants also carried the stock that later roamed Florida as wild horses, cattle and hogs (10). Florida, not Texas, had the first cowmen. According to local historian Judge Bailey, the Florida ranchers preferred to call themselves "cowmen," not cowboys (16). Indians living in Florida at this time were Timucua, Appalachee, AIS and Tekesta. The town of Tequesta is named after the Tekesta tribe. 1513-1763...First Spanish period in Florida. 1764-1783...British ruled Florida. 1780...First migration of YAMASSEE Indians to Florida. These Indians are the ones we now call Seminoles. Seminole means "runaway" (10). 1819-1845...Ft. Lauderdale & Ft. Pierce settled. Early Florida statehood.. 1835...About 1700 Union soldiers marched into Riverbend Park (located about 2 miles west of 1-95 off lndiantown Road in Jupiter) and were defeated within two weeks by only 700 black Seminole and Seminole Native Americans. The black Seminoles were former southern slaves who escaped and joined the Florida tribe. Next, the Indians vanished into the swamp. Reinforcements arrived and U.S. troops surrounded a small number of Seminoles holed up on HungryLand Slough Island along the Bee Line Highway. As the troops kept watch, hoping to starve the Indians out, the number of Seminole campfires dwindled each night until extinguished. When the soldiers rowed their canoes to the island, all they found was one single, elderly black Seminole woman who had kept the fires alive so that her people could escape. She had starved to death when the last fire went out. This land is now a passive park managed by the City of West Palm Beach. About 200 Seminoles who escaped from the Slough, hid in the Everglades and became the ancestors of the 2600 Seminoles who currently live between Miami and Naples in a thriving community now supported by casino gambling, Bingo and their crafts (10). TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction p. 1 Chapter I p. 1 Highlights of South Florida Early History (750-1901) Chapter II p. 2 North Palm Beach area before incorporation (1924-1955) Ownership of North Palm Beach P. 5 North Palm Beach History (8/13/56-2005) P. 5 50th Anniversary Schedule of Events p. 6 Chapter III p. 11 Settlers of Palm Beach County (1835-1950) Demographics of North Palm Beach p. 13 References p. 15 1860...Jupiter lighthouse was lit for the first time. 1864...Civil War was fought primarily near Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Pensacola. 1876...Reconstruction. First railroad in Florida began operation. 1880...Population of Dade County (which included P.B. and Broward Counties) was 527. 1889-1896...Celestial railroad operated between Juno and Jupiter for a total of 7 1/2 miles and carried freight and passengers (10). The trains backed up because there was no way to turn it around. (6). In the 1890's Jupiter was the transportation center and Juno was the county seat of Dade County (10). The R.R. tracks were dismantled in 1894 because Henry Flagler extended his Flagler East Coast RR into what is now called Palm Beach County. Chapter II North Palm Beach Area before Incorporation (1924-55) 1894...Lake Park (then known as Silver Beach) and NPB have connecting histories so I will be skipping back and forth between these two adjoining communities in this chapter. There was a RR passenger station shed where RCA Boulevard (formerly Monet Road) meets AlA. This was known as Prairie Siding, and cattle, timber and produce were shipped from this spot (4). There was a small settlement around this siding (3). 1895...The first pioneer of European heritage to be on record and to live in NPB year round was Roger, the hermit. Roger pitched a tent on Munyon Island (then called NUCTASCHOO or Pelican Island) and lived there for five (5) years. 1892...President Benjamin Harrison sold a fifteen acre land patent to NATHAN PITTS for the sum of $19.47 (21). This NPB pioneer built a house on the island where he and his family lived for sixteen years. Pitts planted lime, guava, avocado, pear, fig and mango trees on the island. At this time the island was known as 'Pitts Island'. 1901...In 1901 Pitts sold the property deed to "Doctor" (he was not a medical doctor) Munyon (21). Munyon had been the owner of Proprietary Medicines in Philadelphia, which he sold and later moved to Florida to invest in the tourist business. He built a health spa resort on Munyon Island and called it the Hygeia Hotel. It had five stories, twenty-one rooms, all with hot and cold water, eight of which had private bathrooms and he surrounded the hotel with a coquina rock seawall. He paid to install an underwater pipe from the mainland, which pumped plain water into his "Fountain of Youth." Munyon claimed that the "Paw -Paw" elixir concoction that came from his "sulphur" water fountain was a cure for insomnia, indigestion, nervousness and fatigue. The wealthy ladies who came by boat from Palm Beach usually stayed overnight at the spa for their "cure" and socializing. In 1917 the hotel burned to the ground and was never rebuilt (7). In 1925 the deed for Munyon Island was sold to HARRY KELSEY for $10. (21) "The Hygeia Hotel on Munyon Island" 1892...Lake Park, formerly known as Kelsey City/Silver Beach began with a warranty deed in the form of a trust from the State of Florida that was given to ALBERT SAWYER with the requirement that he improve, cultivate or sell the land before 1907. This land included what is now NPB. Sayer died in 1903 and willed the trust to his son, ALBERT. The 1907 deadline was extended to 1927 (3). 1919...ALBERT SAWYER, JR. sold the deed to BARTON PECK in 1915 for $1140. PECK sold the deed to HARRY & MABEL KELSEY for $100,000. Mr. Kelsey formed the East Coast Finance Corp. to transact land business (3). He first came to Palm Beach County at age 40 to recuperate from pneumonia, staying from 1919 to 1930. Mr. Kelsey had started his career in 1899 as a headwaiter in Hartford, CT; next he started a fast lunch business, and around 1904 he was president of Waldorf Systems lunch room chain based in Boston. He accumulated stock in Waldorf, became a successful real estate investor and by 1919 he owned assets worth over $4 million. • • . • In 1919 he moved to Silver Beach and bought . 14 miles of oceanfront and lakefront between • Miami and Jupiter, including 100,000 acres which later became Kelsey City/Lake Park . and NPB. He purchased the Florida East • Coast Canal, which is part of the Intracoastal • Waterway, and operated it as a toll waterway . with a toll chain across the intracoastal to stop • boats and collect a fee. Dredging became costly so Kelsey sold the waterway to the state. • 1915...This is a history of a pioneer family • called McLAREN that was told to me by the 90 year old, spry, thin lady known as Lulu McLaren • Nelson, daughter of early settler R.E. McLaren. • Today Lulu lives alone in one of the four houses owned by the McLaren's on a cul-de-sac behind . a white picket gate labeled "McLaren Junction • - Population 12- Keep out- R.V. McLaren, Mayor". The enclave is located at the farthest . west end of McLaren Road. That road lies • in unincorporated county property directly • adjacent to our NPB border. • In 1915 Robert Edgar McLaren, Lulu's father, • sold his factory up north and traveled to this area to recover his health. McLaren's health • improved and he liked Florida so much that • he built a house alongside the Intracoastal on McLaren Road and sent for his family. Soon two . more children were born in that house making a • total of ten children. To feed this hungry brood he tried farming without much success, but he . soon became prosperous from his construction • business. The family had to go by boat to West Palm Beach for groceries and to Palm Beach . for mail pick up. Riviera Beach was then known • as "conch town". To feed this hungry brood he tried farming without much success, but he . soon became prosperous from his construction • business (1). 1918...R.E. McLaren built a one room school • house on the west side of the Intracoastal • Waterway across from his house. PBC had built • a drawbridge located about 100 yards south . of McLaren's house and extending straight to • A1A, with a paved road across Prosperity Farms Road. U.S. Highway One was shell rock at this . time. This Monet Bridge, as it was called, was • damaged during the '28 hurricane and from subsequent hurricanes, but Lulu said the county . government paid to repair the damage. The • bridge washed away during the hurricane of '47 • and was never replaced. One of Lulu's sisters . was a toll collector for Kelsey and she unlatched • the chain whenever a boat wanted to pass through (1). • 1921...Kelsey City Dairy, owned by Harry Kelsey, ®was producing 800 quarts of milk a day. The cows grazed between A1A and Prosperity Farms Road. Many farms were successful on this stretch of land, and that is the reason "Prosperity" was chosen for the name of the road. 1923...Kelsey City was incorporated in 1923 after Kelsey had laid out his carefully zoned town. Over 100 houses were built by him and these homes sold quickly. 1924...The Florida legislature abolished the state income tax and inheritance tax, thus sparking the land boom and motivating Northerners to buy land or build homes in this area. Harry Kelsey built the first 18 hole golf course and a small wooden clubhouse where our library is now located. This golf course was abandoned in 1926. 1926...Kelsey, with the help of PARIS SINGER (Singer Island is named after him), built an 18 hole golf course and Winter Golf Clubhouse ("The Winter Club" ) on the land where the NPB Country Club sits now. According to author Gooding, the cost was $500,000 (4). Singer ferried his winter guests back and forth across the waterway; and Everglades Country Club guests also came by boat from Palm Beach. Lulu (1) said the boats used to tie up at a wood dock near the Parker Bridge, and a taxi would drive the guests over a shell rock road to the nearby Winter Club. U.S. Highway One was still just a shell rock path. Singer never completed his eight story hotel on Singer Island. He had begun construction in 1927, but after the 1928 hurricane the hotel was demolished and never opened. The Winter Club, the Hygeia Hotel and the Parker bridge tender's house were the oldest (prior to 1928) buildings in NPB. These three buildings were our first pioneer buildings in NPB. In 1984 the dilapidated Winter Club was torn down. The Hygeia Hotel burned and the Parker house was torn down. 1926...The Parker drawbridge was completed in 1926. Our first pioneer family to live year round on the mainland in the Village of NPB were the Parker family. The county built his house on stilts just east of the bridge. The bridge was named after Mr. Parker because he was our first full-time bridge tender and was on duty 24 hours a day. The house was later abandoned. 1927...In 1927 the Winter Club opened for the first time but it sustained damage in the '28 hurricane. Some wealthy Everglades Club members leased and ran the golf course and club house from 1929-30. The first two Winter Club members were County Sheriff Robert C. Baker, and B.D. Cole (of B.D. Cole Insurance). Photo courtesy of Lalsr.Park Historical Society "The Winter Club late 1920's' 1928...A hurricane with 130 mph winds caused Lake Okeechobee to overflow its banks and drown 3000 residents who lived near the lake. The hurricane wrenched the concrete Earman River bridge from its mooring, demolished all but a few of the one hundred Lake Park homes, uprooted and leveled Kelsey's three timber mills, and the entire Park Avenue shopping district, and ruined the vital credit rating of this once thriving town (3). Many of the pioneer families who had purchased homes in Kelsey City fled North, abandoning their demolished homes, defaulting on their mortgage payments and causing the Kelsey City Bank to fail. In Florida, if property taxes went unpaid for two years, the state took title to that land. The unpaid taxes totaled $300 per lot and went up for sale. Kelsey, very disillusioned that his carefully planned town was in ruins, abandoned his first original home on the southwest corner of U.S. Highway One and Park Avenue (now an osteopathic clinic) and left Kelsey City. He died in Orlando, Florida in 1957. 1929-30....SIR HARRY OAKES purchased the Winter Club and all the NPB land from Kelsey. Oakes added a south wing to the Winter Club and moved his family into the wing for the winter months. This south wing housed our NPB Library from 1963-68. Oakes opened the golf course to winter visitors but closed it shortly after the stock market crash of 1929-30. Oakes was originally from Maine and made his money in gold mining and then became a Canadian citizen. He moved to Florida to avoid Canadian taxes. His Tesdem, Inc. Corp. began buying abandoned property in Kelsey City and all the land in NPB. Sometime in the 1930's Oakes moved his family to Nassau and spent considerable time in London. He donated $500,000 to London's St. George Hospital and was rewarded with the knighthood title of "Sir." In 1943 Sir Harry was bludgeoned to death and his bed in Nassau was set on fire with gasoline. His murderer was never caught (7). 1926-55...In the period of time from '26, when Kelsey built the Winter Club and '55, the land now known as NPB consisted of seven (7) square miles of sugar sand and scrub palmetto and fewer than 100 individuals living between Lake Park and Jupiter (5). The Tesdem Company, which was formed by Harry Oakes' Estate, held trusts of over 1000 lots in Lake Park and all the land in NPB including both sides of U.S. Highway One. 1951...In 1951 the widow Oakes sold this land to RALPH STOLKIN who was short of cash. When Stolkin was audited by IRS for defrauding a Veteran's Association by mail he got JOHN D. MACARTHUR to loan him $3 million using the land as collateral. Stolkin defaulted on payments, thus making MacArthur sole owner of NPB and Lake Park. However MacArthur was more interested in developing Palm Beach Gardens. 1955...Charles Cunningham, V.P. of MacArthur's Bankers Land, offered the NPB properties for sale to RICHARD and HERBERT ROSS. The Ross Brothers Company sold their Boutwell Dairy holdings locally and used that money to buy the LP/NPB land from Banker's Land (now called the MacArthur Foundation.) This deal between Ross and Herbert Ross. budder and Banker's Land was signed founder of North Palm Beach in 1955 for the price of $5 Million. The MacArthur Foundation is required to divest itself of all land holdings but some land across from our Village Hall is still owned by this Foundation. John Schwencke, 1st Village Councilman 1957 The layout for our Village had superior planning, and credit for this award -winning plan goes to Richard and Herbert Ross, JOHN SCHWENCKE (Ross' associate and still alive today) and JAY WHITE (Ross' associate). Mr. Schwencke, who is 88, reviewed my history and corrected some details. The Ross Brothers had previously built about 5,000 homes in the City of West Palm Beach between 1950-56. • • • • . • • . . • . . . • • • . . • • • . . . . . . • • • . . . . Ownership of the NPB area: • 1892...Albert Sawyer was given a warranty deed by the state of Florida with the stipulation that the land had to be developed by a specific date. Sawyer died and willed the property to his son, Albert Sawyer, Jr. who sold the deed to: 1915...Barton Peck, was unable to develop NPB by the specified date, so he sold the deed for $100, 000 to: 1929...Harry Kelsey, who built the Winter Club . and golf course in NPB and sold both of these • along with all the NPB land to: . 1930...Sir Harry Oakes. who briefly lived in the • Winter Club, added a south wing to the building • and did not develop any of the land in NPB. . Oakes was murdered in 1943 so his widow sold • the land to: . 1951... Albert Stolkin. a man who was • audited by the IRS for defrauding the Veteran's • Association (3) by mail fraud. Stolkin had to . borrow the money to buy NPB land and then he • defaulted on payment to: 1955...)oh,n D. Mackfh ir. who was uninterested • in developing any of NPB, so he immediately • sold the land to: • • 1956...Herbert and Richard Ross for $5 million. 8/13/56...Together with Seward Mott Associates • of Washington, D.C., a master plan was drawn • and the Village of NPB was incorporated by Tallahassee (7). • Pratt & Whitney, encouraged by John D. MacArthur, initiated plans to build a rocket • and jet engine development and testing facility • on 7000 acres of a remote scrub pine area 17 miles west of NPB (4). Pratt & Whitney invented • the first liquid hydrogen rocket engine (RL 10), • which powered the satellite that carried the first human to the moon, and created the electric • power system for the International Space • Station. The world's fastest jet -the J58 - was developed by this facility (5). • Months before Pratt & Whitney Aircraft opened, the sale of homes commenced in October, 1956 . with a Parade of Homes built in conjunction with • the Home Builders' Association and located on the south side of South Anchorage Drive, west of . Eastwind Drive. The homes sold briskly, mostly • to Pratt engineers and managers. The Ross brothers also built 50 homes before deciding not ®to compete with the other builders. (7) Our Village issued the first three (3) permits for occupancy to: 402 So. Anchorage Dr, 406 So. Anchorage Dr, and 410 So. Anchorage Dr. "402 S. Anchorage Drive" 1956...Before NPB was incorporated, the Ross brothers had these services in place: a utilities general manager (Fred Trapnell), a Village Hall, a village council consisting of pioneer first council members: Charles Cunningham (MacArthur's associate and our first Mayor), Richard Ross, Jay White (Ross' associate), John Schwencke (Ross' associate) and John D. MacArthur, a Fire and Police Chief named Albert Dudden, Anchorage Park Marina and ramp, 75 miles of sewer pipes, a bulkhead and dredged 20 canals and 3 lakes and hired Village Manager Alvin Olson.(7) According to James Michener (13), Mr. Olson had an interesting work history. After graduation from Annapolis, he became a merchant shipper. Then he became captivated by Chinese decorative art, went to China and started an import-export business. Photo by: James Tedesco "NPB Village Hall, 2006" 12/12/57...The first business to be issued an occupancy permit was the Pantry Pride / Food Fair at 101 U.S. Highway One (building permit #100) according to the former Village Public Services Director, Charles O'Meilia (2). NPB Properties sold 40 acres to Food Fair and Pantry Pride which opened in 1958 followed by J.M. Fields/AKA Jefferson's Dept. Store. The Twin City Mall and Sears arrived on this acreage in 1971. The 50th nnniveraary of THE VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH 1956 — 2006 Schedule of Events ti • • • • • • • VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH 50T April 5 Library Keynote Speaker: James Snyder, Author - Winner of the Florida Publisher's Association Book -of -the -Year in 2002, Mr. Snyder will speak about his latest book, BLACK GOLD & SILVER SANDS: A Pictorial History of Agriculture in Palm Beach County. April 7 • Library Reception, Obert Meeting Room • Resident Golf Tournament • Time Capsule Groundbreaking at Library Heritage Day Festival at Country Club Driving Range Mayor's Dinner, Invitation Only • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • April 8 50th Anniversary 5K Run, Anchorage Park Junior Tennis Clinic Adult Tennis Clinic Heritage Day Parade, US1 Heritage Day Festival Open Swim at Country Club Resident Golf Tournament 50th Anniversary Fireworks, Country Club 7:00pm April 9 Resident Golf Tournament Open Swim, Country Club April 15 Easter Egg Hunt, Community Center Heritage Day Festival 2:30pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:00pm - lOpm 6:30pm A I ri122 Library Open House April23 50t" Anniversary Golf Tournament, Country Club Proceeds benefiting the NPBC Little League Matinee at the Library spanning the decades from the 1950's to the 1980's. Heritage Day Festival 7:30am 8:00am 9:00am 11:00am 12noon - lOpm 12noon - lOpm 3:00pm 9:00pm 3:00pm 12noon-6pm 10:00am 1:00pm - 4:00pm 1:00pm 11:30am children's movie 2pm adult matinee ANNIVERSARY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS May 3 11:00am Library Keynote Speaker: Bob Sanford Mr. Sanford was John D. MacArthur's beverage manager from the old Colonnade Beach Hotel. Mr. Sanford will present an inside look at MacArthur and his influence on North Palm Beach. Ma 6and7 Relay for Life supporting American Cancer Society Community Center This unique overnight celebration to honor those touched by cancer raises funds to help fight the disease through research, education, advocacy and patient services. For more information contact Sheena Young, at 744-2275 ext 110 or sheena.young@cancer.org June 9, July 14, Aug 11 6:00pm Friday Night BBQ's at the Pool Join us the 2"d Friday of the month (June 9, July 14, Aug 11) at the Country Club Pool for BBQ, music and swimming. une 16 - 18 Girls Softball Tournament, Community Center June 24 Fishing Tournament Join the Waterways and Recreation Boards as they plan a 50th Anniversary Fishing Tournament. July 22 7:30pm Sock Hop, Gymnasium Bring the family out for an old fashion sock hop and go back in time to 1956. Aug 1 National Night Out coordinated by Public Safety Aug 12 Time Capsule Ceremony, Library Join us as we celebrate 50 years as the "Best Place to Live Under the Sun." For more information on any of the above activities please contact NPB Recreation at (561) 841-3386 • • • • 0 50th Anniversary Committee Dianna Craven, Chair Mark Hodgkins, Vice -Chair Dr. Edward M. Eissey, Honorary Chair Dr. Joan Aubrey, Village Historian Charlotte Chickering Kerry Diaz Roy Hill Trevor Jackson Susan Kamp Nancy Moore Kathie Olds, Village Librarian Judy Pierman Patsy Saunders Cecily Rouser James Tedesco Back Row — Dianna Craven, Cecily Rouser, Patsy Saunders, Nancy Moore, Kathie Olds, Charlotte Chickering Bottom Row — Trevor Jackson, Dr. Ed Eissey, Mark Hodgkins, James Tedesco Not Pictured: Dr. Joan Aubrey; Kerry Diaz, Roy Hill, Susan Kamp, Judy Pierman 50th Anniversary Sponsors E BANK Our Liec rf's in ever yiLun9 we de' Title Sponsor The Palm Beach Post PalmBeachPost.com Corporate Sponsors Haile, Shaw & Pfaffenberger, PA • Seasons 52 • Shamrock Jewelers • Village Shoppes Gold Sponsors Ed Morse Chevrolet • Einstein Bagels • Frani Schmidt Insurance • Garden of Life Oxygen Health & Wellness • Reback Realty • Riviera Beach Marina • Sign -A -Rama State Farm Insurance Silver Sponsors Diane's Beauty Works • Donnini Enterprises Duke's Lazy Loggerhead Cafe • Executive Lawn Care Bronze Sponsors Imperial Frame Gallery • Zen Spa, Inc. The 50th Anniversary Committee would like to thank each of our sponsors for helping to make our celebration a success. Sponsor listing as of 3/27/06 A problem arose because the boundary line between Lake Park and NPB ran through the middle of Sears. How to split the cigarette tax money, among other issues, was discussed at council meetings. An amiable agreement was reached and relations with neighboring Lake Park have remained excellent (7). 1958...The developers donated ten acres of land to the school board and NPB Elementary opened for classes. The two other schools that are located in NPB are The Benjamin School and St. Clare Catholic Elementary School. 1958...The National Association of Home Builders out of Chicago, chose NPB as an award winning community. This was the first time a Florida town had won. The criteria used included excellence in: landscaping, planning, schools, recreation, zoning, shopping, variety of home styles and public services in place (7). 1961...The Village purchased 145 acres around the NPB Country Club for $1,250,000 by issuing general obligation bonds. NPB voters approved spending $400,000. to build a new clubhouse and Olympic size swimming pool These improvements opened in '63 and the bond was paid off in '88 (7). "Aerial view of NPB Country Club just prior to completion in 1962" 1963...The NPB Library opened in temporary quarters in the Winter Club. Thelma Obert surveyed the Village residents, and proposed to the Village council that a library should open. She also persuaded Village residents to contribute 1700 books. Nancy Moore was appointed Library Director from 1984 until her retirement in 2005. 1966...The oldest still -standing business, Winship Pharmacy, opened on Northlake Blvd. It was built by renowned architect, Eugene Lawrence. The exterior remains unchanged. Mr. Winship stated that in "1966 Northlake Blvd. was a two lane dirt road and only two businesses were open along Northlake: First American Bank and Little General grocery (corner of Northlake Blvd. and Prosperity)". Photo by• James Tedesco Winship Pharmacy' • • • • . • This community has many miles of navigable canals. A boat launching ramp is available to residents at Anchorage Park. It includes wet storage for 30 boats and dry storage for boats on trailers. There is also one public marina and one private marina as well as a private launch at Lott Bros., Inc. (19) 1960...The oldest church in NPB is St. Clare Catholic Church which was established as a parish in 1960 and began holding Mass in private homes, rented Pantry Pride space and the 2nd floor of St. Clare School. In 1969 the present church building opened its doors. The outside architecture remains unchanged. (17) 1969... NPB Library, off Anchorage, was dedicated. The downstairs Obert Room houses framed photos of early village history as does the hallway of village hall. The NPB year-round volunteer village historian is housed in the library and has archived our village historical photos and clippings. Old Port Cove condominium complex with over 1,000 units was started. It has proved to be one of the most successful and prestigious locations in Florida. (7). 1973...The University of N.C. chose NPB as an example of "one of the few well planned communities its size in the U.S.A." Much of the uniqueness of our Village is due to the enforced zoning that prohibits garbage cans lining the streets on collection day, commercial buildings over four stories tall or located on any streets except Northlake Blvd. and U.S. Highway One, strip shopping malls, commercial buildings close to the sidewalk and neon signs. • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • . . . . ; By restricting commercial development to two • streets and prohibiting industrial plants, NPB • has achieved a balance of land use absent in so ; many other Florida coastal communities which • have succumbed to urban sprawl. ; 1980...After extended negotiations between • the State of Florida, PBC and the MacArthur • Foundation, the 11/2 miles of oceanfront land, which lay within the NPB boundaries, was sold • to PBC for $23 million. The 385 acres included • the controversial Air Force Beach where nude sunbathing was allowed. It is called John D. • MacArthur Beach State Park. • 1980...George Delacorte, a NPB resident, • donated $600,000 toward building our second • Community Center. The Delacorte Recreation Building on Prosperity Farms Road was built with • the stipulation that no fee ever be charged for use • of the building. (7) 1981-2004..The major additional condominium • complexes completed in the past 25 years • include: Northlake Condominiums on Lake Circle, Governor's Pointe (356 Golfview), • Seamark (Golfview), Marina Bay (U.S. Hwy • One), Southwind Circle (Southwind Drive), River's Landing (Hummingbird Way), Harbor • Isles (Prosperity Farms Road), Sanctuary Cove (Prosperity Farms Road), and Prosperity Harbor (Prosperity Farms Road). 1980...Harriet Nolan was elected as the first female NPB Council member. 1989...Judy Pierman was elected as the first female Mayor of NPB. 1996...Ryan Berube, a NPB resident, won an Olympic Gold Medal for relay swimming. He • trained at the NPB Country Club for ten years. • (2) • 1980's...Mark Soverel, helmsman and winner • of national sailing races, was listed by Yachting Magazine as one of the top five sailboat designers • in the world. He grew up in NPB and built his • sailboats at Soverel Marine in Palm Beach ; Gardens. • 1999...Our NPB Department of Public Safety • was one of the first police stations in PBC to • sponsor a teenage Explorer Post in 1977. The • current Public Safety facility on U.S. Highway ; One opened in 1999. At that time it had the • most technologically advanced equipment in • PBC. m Atos is a German shepherd K-9 dog acquired in 2002 and currently trained to alert officers for the presence of narcotics. Thanks to a donation, he owns a bullet proof vest that is also stab proof. • Chapter III Early Settlers of Palm Beach County (1835-1950) 1835...Military Trail was a raised dirt trail cleared by the U.S. Army and used as a wagon trail during the Seminole Indian Wars. When these wars ended in 1838 local settlers used the trail for trading goods 1898...Baseball games were held between rival West Palm Beach saloons on Banyan Blvd. Sam Lewis, a bartender, was lynched 8/24/1895 after he was arrested for shooting the PBC Tax Collector during a Banyan Blvd. poker game. An angry mob of poker players stormed the jail, hung Lewis from a telephone pole and riddled his body with bullets (6). 1909...PBC was incorporated and became separated from Dade County. 1910...Dade County and PBC population census reaches 17,000. 1912...The oldest still existing store in PBC is aptly named Pioneer Linens and is located on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach. 1916...The Palm Beach Post newspaper began publishing daily. 1919-33...Riviera Beach was a fishing port during Prohibition and imported illegal rum from the islands. Lulu said it was called "conch- town".(1) Henry Flagler named the streets in downtown WPB. His workers lived there. Flagler named the E-W streets alphabetically after flowers: Banyan, Clematis, Datura, Evernia, Fern, Gardenia and Hibiscus (9). The nation's wealthy northerners "wintered" in Palm Beach during the traditional 'season' from Thanksgiving to Easter. The island was still a wild and swampy frontier amidst a plush Breaker's Hotel and Bradley's gambling casino. The invention of the auto, the extension of Seaboard RR to PBC and the completion of Dixie Highway/U.S. Highway One paved the way for developers to expand into northern PBC and our area. 1928...125 mph sustained winds and hurricane- To the west about 60 miles is the sleepy town induced flooding killed 3000 PBC residents. of Belle Glade on the edge of Lake Okeechobee. • Mrs. Bessie Dubois, a distinguished Jupiter Here old Florida crackers hang tenaciously • pioneer, wrote, "to those who imbibed, the to their gritty homespun atmosphere of past '28 storm was referred to as a 'four bottle decades. hurricane.' (Historical Society of PBC). She • said, "a small man who loved to drink, could not As NPB reaches its 50th year, its citizens can be found after the storm subsided. His wife was take pride in a Village that was first in Florida getting ready to clothe herself in widow's weeds, to be awarded the National Association of • when her husband was discovered inside a big Home Builders award for excellence, a Village ; trunk, with his bottle, blissfully asleep."(8) that still looks new, escalating real estate, local government, efficient public services, and no • 1950...The population of PBC is 115,000. PB commercial buildings over 4 stories tall near the ; Intl. Airport opens. road on U.S. Highway One or Northlake Blvd. • ti • • • 5 • D • G • A • • -5' • • j • • (D • C • 1-10-77 ...The first snowfall ever recorded in PBC fell from 6:10 a.m. until 8:40 a.m. (29 degrees F) but melted before the delighted children could make a snowman. "The Beginning DEMOGRAPHICS of NORTH PALM BEACH Population (U.S. Census) year-round residents 81,9x 9 0305 11,344180 919,9 11,343 12 064 Age Age Cohort (2000) NPB Florida 1-15 12% 19% 16-24 6% 12% 25-44 24% 28% 45-64 27% 23% 65+ 31% 18% NPB Race (2000) Florida Palm Beach County White 96% 78% 79% African -American .9% 15% 13.8% Hispanic 3.5% 17% 12.4% Asian 1.2% 1.7% 1.5% HOUSING, EDUCATION, INCOME (NPB) U.S. Census for 2000 Income NPB USA Median Family Income $69,104 $50,046 Per Capita Income $39,564 $21,587 Families Living Below Poverty Line 1.3% 9.2% Housing Owner -Occupied Housing Units 78% 66% Renter -Occupied Housing Units 22% 34% Education High School Graduates (includes equivalency) 23.4% Some College, or Associate's Degree 33.2% Bachelor's Degree 23.8% Master's, Professional or Doctorate Degree 12.4% 28.6% 27.4% 15.5% 8.9% NPB Village Budget 1981...General Fund Revenues/expenses = $3 million @ 6.68 mills 2005...General Fund Revenues/expenses = $18 million @ 6.8 mills Source: US Census Bureau, 2000 Census - reference (20) • 0 • c� • 0 • `0 • • 0 • • z ' • • ti 0 (D H "The Village of North Palm Beach in 1961" AERIPL PHOTO 5Y WRICATSAERIP-MLS.GOM IMF a;.00l a s;y:uM : 6 o}oy, "The Village of North Palm Beach today" • • • References . (1) Interview with Lulu McLaren-Nelson. . (2) Interviews with Jack Schwencke, Charles O'Meilia, Joan Aubrey, Ted Brown Sr., • and Nancy Moore. . (3) Gooding, Dorothy. "Tucked Between the Pages of Time: History of Lake Park" . . (4) Palm Beach Post Newspaper 8/8/05. . • (5) United Technology, "Beehive" Pamphlet. 1978. . • (6) Curl, Donald, Ph.D. "Palm Beach County - An Illustrated History." . • (7) Young, William. "25th Anniversary of the Village of NPB - An Official History." . 1981. . • (8) Procyk, R. "Guns Across the Loxahatchee". . • (9) Roberts, H.J., M.D. "West Palm Beach - Centennial Reflections." • (10) Snyder, James. "5000 Years on the Loxahatchee." • . (11) Jebeau, Carson. "Florida From Indian Trail to Space Age." . (12) Kribbs, Daniel. "History of Juno Beach." . • (13) Michener, James. Framed letter on wall of NPB Village Historian's office. . • (14) Document: 1989 Community Character Statement/NPB. . • (15) Document: 2005 NPB Public Safety. (16) Fernald, Edward. "Atlas of Florida" UF/FSU. . . (17) Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach County. Letter from Merke Baroni, Secretary to • the Chancellor/Bishop's office. . (18) O'Meilia, Charles. Professional Engineer and Director, NPB Dept. of Public • Services, 1968-1994 . • (19) NPB Decennial Celebration booklet 1966/NPB Library. • (20) U.S. Census Report/Reference Librarian research. (21) Palm Beach County Public Records as researched by Erik S. Hinckley in 2005. ii David B. Norris Mayor Edward M. Eissey, Ph.D. Vice Mayor William Manuel President Pro Tem Charles R O'Meilia Councilman Photo Not Available Manny Grinn Councilman • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 NORTH PALM BEACH VILLAGE COUNCIL David B. Norris, Mayor Edward M. Eissey, Ph.D., Vice Mayor William Manuel, President Pro Tem Charles R. O'Meilia, Councilman Manny Grinn, Councilman • Village Council members may be • contacted through the office of the • Village Clerk at 841-3355 or by email at • npbclerk@village-npb.org • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Cover photos courtesy of Lake Park Historical Society