Palm Beach County Collection
Dublin Core
Title
Palm Beach County Collection
Alternative Title
Palm Beach County Collection
Subject
Palm Beach County (Fla.)
Description
The first settlers of the present-day Palm Beach County area were the Ais', Calusas, Jaegas, Mayaimis, and Tequestas. The first known European to travel to the area was Juan Ponce de León (1474-1521) in 1513. For the next three centuries, the area was mostly inhabited by Native Americans, especially the Seminole Indians, as well as runaway slaves. Palm Beach County was also a major battle site for the Second Seminole War. The first white settle of Palm Beach County was Augustus O. Lang, who settled around the eastern shore of Lake Worth in 1863. The present-day Palm Beach County area experienced its first land boom in the 1890s when Henry Flagler (1830-1913) purchased land along Lake Worth and expanded his Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) to West Palm Beach.
The county was officially created in 1909 and named in honor of Palm Beach, its first settled community. In 1928, parts of Palm Beach County were devastated by the Okeechobee hurricane, leading to the construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike in response. Morrison's Field opened in 1936 and was converted to an Air Force Base in 1942. Two decades later, the Palm Beach AFB became a commercial airport known as Palm Beach International Airport. Much of Palm Beach County's history in the late 20th and early 21st century revolve around devastating hurricanes and political controversies, such as the attempted assassination of John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) by Richard Paul Pavlick (1887-1975), the use of butterfly ballots in the contested presidential election of 2000, and the FBI investigation of the September 11 attacks, which found that 12 of the 19 hijackers were trained or lived in Palm Beach County.
The county was officially created in 1909 and named in honor of Palm Beach, its first settled community. In 1928, parts of Palm Beach County were devastated by the Okeechobee hurricane, leading to the construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike in response. Morrison's Field opened in 1936 and was converted to an Air Force Base in 1942. Two decades later, the Palm Beach AFB became a commercial airport known as Palm Beach International Airport. Much of Palm Beach County's history in the late 20th and early 21st century revolve around devastating hurricanes and political controversies, such as the attempted assassination of John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) by Richard Paul Pavlick (1887-1975), the use of butterfly ballots in the contested presidential election of 2000, and the FBI investigation of the September 11 attacks, which found that 12 of the 19 hijackers were trained or lived in Palm Beach County.
Contributor
Buck, Texann Ivy
Is Part Of
Type
Collection
Coverage
Palm Beach County, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Stoddard, James
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
External Reference
"Introduction: Native Americans." Palm Beach County History Online. http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/native-americans.
"10000 yrs - A.D. 1700." Palm Beach County History Online. http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/timeline-10000-yrs-ad-1700.
"The 2nd Seminole War in Palm Beach County." Palm Beach County History Online. http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/the-seminole-war-in-palm-beach-county.
"The First Arrivals." Palm Beach County History Online. http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/the-first-arrivals.
"Introduction: Flagler Era." Palm Beach County History Online. http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/flagler-era.
"History of Incorporating Palm Beach County." Palm Beach County. http://www.pbcgov.com/courthouse/history.htm.
"PBC in the National Spotlight." Palm Beach County History Online. http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/national-spotlight.
Collection Items
There are currently no items within this collection.
Collection Tree
- Palm Beach County Collection