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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction............................................................................................... P. 1
ChapterI................................................................................................... P. 1
Highlights of South Florida Early History (750-1901)
ChapterI I.................................................................................................. 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
ChapterI I I............................................................................................... P. 11
Settlers of Palm Beach County (1835-1950)
Demographics of North Palm Beach ........................................................ p. 13
References............................................................................................... p. 15
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).
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
Fl -
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
tri be.
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
I-95 off Indiantown 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).
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 NUCTASCH00 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... I n 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
AIA, 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 AIA 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 dust 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).
"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 STOLKI N 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
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used that money to buy
the LP/NPB land from
Banker's Land (now called
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the MacArthur Foundation.)
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The layout for our Village had
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superior planning, and credit
for this award -winning plan
John Schwencke, 1st Village goes to Richard and Herbert
Councilman 1957 g 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 wi!led 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 Stol ki n 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 ... John D. MacArthur, 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 Vi I lage 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)7
• 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.
"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 5Uth �nniversary of
THE VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH
1956-2006
•
•
7:OOpm 11:00am
Library Keynote Speaker: James Snyder, Author - Winner of the Florida Publisher's Association Library Keynote Speaker: Bob Sanford
Book -of -the -Year in 2002, Mr. Snyder will speak about his latest book, BLACK GOLD & SILVER Mr. Sanford was John D. MacArthur's beverage manager from the old Colonnade Beach Hotel. Mr.
SANDS: A Pictorial History of Agriculture in Palm Beach County. Sanford will present an inside look at MacArthur and his influence on North Palm Beach.
Heritage Day Festival
Library Reception, Obert Meeting Room 2:30pm
Resident Golf Tournament 3:OOpm
Time Capsule Groundbreaking at Library 4:OOpm
Heritage Day Festival at Country Club Driving Range 4:OOpm — 10pm
Mayors Dinner, Invitation Only 6:30pm
Heritage Day Festival
50th Anniversary 5K Run, Anchorage Park 7:30am
Junior Tennis Clinic 8:OOam
Adult Tennis Clinic 9:OOam
Heritage Day Parade, USI 11:00am
Heritage Day Festival 12noon — 10pm
Open Swim at Country Club 12noon — 10pm
Resident Golf Tournament 3:OOpm
50th Anniversary Fireworks, Country Club 9:OOpm
Resident Golf Tournament 3:OOpm
Open Swim, Country Club 12noon-6pm
Easter Egg Hunt, Community Center 10:00am
Library Open House
50th Anniversary Golf Tournament, Country Club
Proceeds benefiting the NPBC Little League
April 29, May 20, June 24 and July 22
Matinee at the Library spanning the decades from
the 1950's to the 1980's.
1:OOpm — 4:OOpm
1:00pm
11:30am children's movie
2pm adult matinee
iMay 6 and 7
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 I I 6:OOpm
Friday Night BBQ's at the Pool
Join us the 2nd Friday of the month (June 9, July 14, Aug 11) at the Country Club Pool for BBQ,
music and swimming.
,June 16 - 18
Girls Softball Tournament, Community Center
Fishing Tournament
Join the Waterways and Recreation Boards as they plan a 50th Anniversary Fishing Tournament.
7:30pm
Sock Hop, Gymnasium
Bring the family out for an old fashion sock hop and go back in time to 1956.
National Night Out coordinated by Public Safety
Time Capsule Ceremony, Library
l
Join us as we celebrate SO 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
•
50t" Anniversary Committee
Dianna Craven, Chair
Mark Hodgkins, Vice -Chair
Dr. Edward M. Eissey, Honorary Chair
Dr. Joan Aubrey, Village Historian Trevor Jackson
Charlotte Chickering Susan Kamp
Kerry Diaz Nancy Moore
Roy Hill 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_%ackson, Dr. Ed Eissey,
Mark Hodgkins, James Tedesco
Not Pictured: Dr Joan Aubrey, Kerry Diaz, Roy
Hill, Susan Kamp, Judy Pierman
50th AnniversarySnonsors
W
w"DE BANK
Our tieArf S in every*iin9 we Jo
Title Sponsor
Corporate Sponsors
The Palm Beach Post
PalmBeachPost.com
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 dust prior to completion in
196277
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)".
"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 1 1/2 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.
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 -
induced flooding killed 3000 PBC residents.
Mrs. Bessie Dubois, a distinguished Jupiter
pioneer, wrote, "to those who imbibed, the
`28 storm was referred to as a `four bottle
hurricane.' (Historical Society of PBC). She
said, "a small man who loved to drink, could not
be found after the storm subsided. His wife was
getting ready to clothe herself in widow's weeds,
when her husband was discovered inside a big
trunk, with his bottle, blissfully asleep. "(8)
1950 ... The population of PBC is 115,000. PB
I nt'I . Airport opens.
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.
To the west about 60 miles is the sleepy town
of Belle Glade on the edge of Lake Okeechobee.
Here old Florida crackers hang tenaciously
to their gritty homespun atmosphere of past
decades.
As NPB reaches its 50th year, its citizens can
take pride in a Village that was first in Florida
to be awarded the National Association of
Home Builders award for excellence, a Village
that still looks new, escalating real estate, local
government, efficient public services, and no
commercial buildings over 4 stories tall near the
road on U.S. Highway One or Northlake Blvd.
"The Beginning"
L
0
0
0
0
z
0
0
Source: US Census Bureau, 2000 Census - reference (20)
"The Village of North Palm Beach in 1961 "
"The Village of North Palm Beach today"
ii
DEMOGRAPHICS of NORTH PALM BEACH
Population (U.S. Census) year-round residents
•
1966 1970 1980
1990 2000
87700 97035 117344
117343 127064
•
Age Cohort (2000)
Age NPB
Florida
1-15 12%a
19%
•
16-24 6%
12010
25-44 24%
28%
45.64 27%a
23%
•
65+ 310/0
18°"/0
Race (2000)
•
NPB Florida
Palm Beach County
•
White 96%a 78%
790/0
•
African-American .90/0 15%
13.8%
Hispanic 3.50/0 17%
12.40/0
•
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 780/0
660/0
•
Renter -Occupied Housing Units 22010
340/0
Education
•
High School Graduates (includes equivalency) 23.4%
28.60/0 ,
Some College, or Associate's Degree 33.20/0
27.40/0
Bachelor's Degree 23.80/0
15.50/0
•
Master's, Professional or Doctorate Degree 12.40/0
8.90/0
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)
"The Village of North Palm Beach in 1961 "
"The Village of North Palm Beach today"
ii
References
(1) Interview with Lulu McLaren -Nelson.
(2) Interviews with Jack Schwencke, Charles O' Mei I ia, 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" OF/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.
15
Village of North Palm Beach
Official Zoning Map
January 2006
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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
npbclerkOvillage-npb.org
Manny Grinn��w
y �
Councilman rz,UM
Cover photos courtesy of Lake Park Historical Society