And the no. 1 biggest event in county history is…
Readers: Last week marked the 500th Post Time column!
In honor of the occasion –not to mention Palm Beach County’s Centennial — we gave you a list of the 25 biggest events in the county’s history, from a 1999 compilation we updated to 2009. Well, we gave you 25 through 11. Here’s the top 10. For some entries, we’ve added famous quotes.
10. 1945-2009 growth explosions; 2008-’09 real estate collapse.
9. Boom collapses into bust, late 1920s; region thrown into Depression. “A boom means something that is soon over with; West Palm Beach should keep on growing like this for years,” City Building Inspector Jonathan H. Brophy said.
8. Citrus industry develops, late 19th century.
7. West Palm Beach founded, 1894; Palm Beach County, 1909. Region expands from resort role.
6. 1928 hurricane kills up to 3,000 in Glades; Hoover Dike built for flood control. “It woke up old Okeechobee, and the monster began to roll in his bed,” wrote Zora Neale Hurston in Their Eyes Were Watching God.
5. Everglades drainage; sugar industry develops, 1900s-’20s.
4. 1947 hurricane/flood leads to creation of South Florida Water Management District.
3. World War II, 1941-45: U-boat wars, bases spring up, growth spurt. “It was my first trip to Florida. I didn’t like the experience,” said Frank Leonard Terry, the sole survivor aboard the W.D. Anderson, sunk 12 miles north of Jupiter on Feb. 22, 1942.
2. South Florida’s real-estate boom, mid-1920s.
1. Henry Flagler comes to Palm Beach, 1890s. “I have spoken of the godfather of this state. May the state of Florida recognize his benefits The coming years will make clear how wise was his judgment,” said the Rev. George Morgan Ward at a memorial service at Palm Beach’s Royal Poinciana Chapel on the first anniversary of Flagler’s death in 1913.
Photo: Special to Neighborhood Post
This photograph shows the aftermath of the 1928 hurricane at the Wannamaker home in Palm Beach and of D.H. Conkling’s Marchioness sloop that had run aground. Conkling was founder of The Palm Beach Post.
Tags: 1928 Hurricane, agriculture, economy, Henry Flagler, hurricanes, real estate, World War II
