Henry Flagler
September/October 2020 | 3 38 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com
History of the Palm Beaches By Jadan Horyn
Nearly three centuries after Ponce De Leon embarked to discover the fountain of youth, a shipwrecked Spanish brigantine forged the path of another discovery. Bound for Barcelona from Havana, the Providencia and its hull of 20,000 coconuts found providence in what would later become South Florida’s second oldest incorporated municipality. The year is 1878, as the ship lay stuck on the shoals of sand and reef that lay off of South Florida, sailors wade to shore. Behind them the bulky hull of the ship washed ashore with its cargo of coconuts. Coconut Palms, not native to Florida, took root easily in the sandy soil and the near-tropical climate. Originally, the area was called Lake Worth, named for a General in the Second Seminole War. Yet, it was the abundance of palms that lent its name not only to the island of Palm Beach but the town, the area, and eventually the county. This easy cultivation led these early castaways to seek to commercialize the crop with coconut plantations. However, it was the island’s idyllic beauty and warm climate that drove its development. Gilded Age America’s wealthy sought out places far removed from the filth of late 19th century urban life. The salty crisp air of Newport being a favorite location of the railroad men and the Titans of Wall 40| Metropolitan Magazine Palm Beach | Metmagny.com
Street. Still, winter came to Newport, frigid, and at times intolerable as N’oreasters bore down on its exposed promontory. It is no surprise then that word of Florida’s favorable climate spread to many of New York’s elite. Several found themselves open to the idea of somewhere else to winter. This set the stage for the man who would eventually make Florida and Palm Beach what it is today. Henry M. Flagler was an oilman before he was a railroad tycoon, or a real estate developer, or city father. As a co-founder of the ignominious Standard Oil, Flagler had the means and ruthlessness to succeed where others failed. Yet, he also had the passion and personal interest in ensuring his ventures in Florida were successful. When Flagler’s first wife Mary fell ill, the treatment recommended mirrored what European doctors told their patients: take in some warm air. Those recommendations made locations such as the Almfi coast, the French Riviera, or the South of Spain famous with the aristocracy. Likewise, this recommendation would make Florida and the Palm Beaches the American Riviera. Heading south first to Jacksonville and later to St. Augustine, Flagler wanting to flee any hint of cold headed to what was already the storied Palm Beach to experience the weather for himself.
Wasting no time, Flagler set about constructing the Royal Poinciana Hotel. The world’s largest wooden structure. Now a railroad tycoon, Flagler used his oil wealth to purchase and consolidate numerous small rail lines to ensure seamless travel to his favorite destinations. An accidental land baron, Flagler, through generous land grant incentives for each mile of new track built, acquired hundreds of thousands of acres of property adjacent to them. Property he would turn into some of the nations most luxurious and palatial hotels. Not content with the Royal Poinciana, Flagler had the Palm Beach Inn constructed on the island where he had rail lines extended over lake worth to provide direct access. The Palm Beach Inn became an instant hit and soon guests were demanding rooms down “by the breakers.” Consumed by fire in 1903, the original hotel was reconstructed as The Breakers becoming a more lavish and ornate Flagler property. Developed at the twilight of the Gilded Age but maturing the height of the Roaring Twenties, Palm Beach became the go-to destination for captains of Industry and summer homes of Eastern elites. Many a structure mirrors the two architectural styles in Vogue during the era of beaux arts and Art Deco,
