It was the “Kerosene Era” and John D. Rockefeller ... - Planet Cesar!
It was the “Kerosene Era” and John D. Rockefeller ... - Planet Cesar!
It was the “Kerosene Era” and John D. Rockefeller ... - Planet Cesar!
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Figure 1.<br />
Figure 2.<br />
<strong>It</strong> <strong>was</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>“Kerosene</strong> <strong>Era”</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>John</strong> D. <strong>Rockefeller</strong> <strong>and</strong> his<br />
partners learned to turn a by-<br />
product of sticky oil into liq-<br />
uid gold. There <strong>was</strong> one part-<br />
ner who shone above <strong>the</strong> rest<br />
– Henry Flagler, who Rock-<br />
efeller himself credited with<br />
<strong>the</strong> distinction of being <strong>the</strong><br />
brains behind <strong>the</strong> operation<br />
that made St<strong>and</strong>ard Oil into<br />
<strong>the</strong> wealthiest private company<br />
in <strong>the</strong> world <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> first major<br />
multi-state operation.<br />
Figure 1. Henry Flagler painting by R. Madrazo, 1899. Charles Lockwood, The Breakers A Century of Gr<strong>and</strong> Traditions (The Breakers Palm Beach, Inc., 2004) Forward<br />
Figure 2. St<strong>and</strong>ard Oil Refinery No. 1 in Clevel<strong>and</strong>, Ohio, 1899. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St<strong>and</strong>ard_Oil
Figure 1.<br />
Figure 2.<br />
When most young men <strong>and</strong><br />
women were heeding <strong>the</strong> call to<br />
“go west”, a few ventured south<br />
to <strong>the</strong> last known frontier on <strong>the</strong><br />
mainl<strong>and</strong> of <strong>the</strong> United States.<br />
Here few roads (<strong>and</strong> even fewer<br />
railroad tracks) lay in <strong>the</strong> end-<br />
less length of swamps, prairies<br />
<strong>and</strong> lakes that formed what <strong>was</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>n known as “La Florida”. In<br />
this wilderness, Flagler would re-<br />
invent himself as <strong>the</strong> undisputed<br />
fa<strong>the</strong>r of our newest state.<br />
Figure 1. The Styx. Charles Lockwood, The Breakers A Century of Gr<strong>and</strong> Traditions (The Breakers Palm Beach, Inc., 2004) p. 7<br />
Figure 2. Waterway swamps. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 16-17
Figure 1.<br />
With a warmer climate to soo<strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong> effects of his first wife’s tu-<br />
berculosis, Flagler visited Florida. From Jacksonville, he took a<br />
small boat trip down <strong>the</strong> St. <strong>John</strong>’s River to St. Augustine. He dis-<br />
covered <strong>the</strong> magical charm of <strong>the</strong> old world remotely hidden<br />
from <strong>the</strong> modern one. With a vow to change that, Flagler retired<br />
from St<strong>and</strong>ard Oil to reinvent himself as Florida’s premier hotelier<br />
with his construction of <strong>the</strong> Ponce De Leon Hotel. His innova-<br />
tive building style that used poured concrete construction began<br />
a revolution in large scale <strong>and</strong> quickly built structures. Soon after,<br />
America’s elite would start arriving to partake in <strong>the</strong> sun <strong>and</strong> fun.<br />
Figure 1. Ponce de Leon Hotel. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 19
Figure 1.<br />
With <strong>the</strong> success of St. Augus-<br />
tine, Flagler pushed southward<br />
opening up trackless l<strong>and</strong>s to<br />
farming <strong>and</strong> real-estate. Com-<br />
munities such as Ormond Beach,<br />
Daytona, Juno <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs would<br />
be bir<strong>the</strong>d by <strong>the</strong> iron rail con-<br />
nection to <strong>the</strong> outside world.<br />
The growth culminated with<br />
West Palm Beach, where Flagler<br />
vowed to stop <strong>and</strong> build his re-<br />
tirement home (Whitehall) <strong>and</strong><br />
one of <strong>the</strong> largest wooden build-<br />
ings in <strong>the</strong> world (<strong>the</strong> Royal<br />
Poinciana) in Palm Beach.<br />
Figure 1. Palm Beach Inn. Charles Lockwood, The Breakers A Century of Gr<strong>and</strong> Traditions (The Breakers Palm Beach, Inc., 2004) p. 22
Figure 1.<br />
Figure 2.<br />
In 1896, Flagler commissioned Alex<strong>and</strong>er H. Findlay to design<br />
Florida’s first golf course, The Ocean Course.<br />
When The Ocean Course<br />
first opened it had s<strong>and</strong><br />
greens; grass wouldn’t be<br />
added until <strong>the</strong> course <strong>was</strong><br />
redesigned in <strong>the</strong> 1920s.<br />
Considered <strong>the</strong> “Fa<strong>the</strong>r of<br />
American Golf ”, Findlay had<br />
130 courses to his name. Of<br />
<strong>the</strong>m, 7 are in Florida with<br />
many on Flagler’s properties.<br />
Figure 1. Ocean Course 1904. Charles Lockwood, The Breakers A Century of Gr<strong>and</strong> Traditions (The Breakers Palm Beach, Inc., 2004) p. 74<br />
Figure 2. http://alex<strong>and</strong>erfindlay.com/gallery
Figure 1.<br />
On August 24th, 1901, Henry Fla-<br />
gler married his third wife, Mary<br />
Lily Kenan, whose family still re-<br />
tains ownership of The Breakers.<br />
Flagler’s wedding present to his<br />
new bride <strong>was</strong> <strong>the</strong> 75-room Gild-<br />
ed Age mansion, named Whitehall.<br />
The couple moved in during Febru-<br />
ary of 1902.<br />
After Mary’s death in 1917, <strong>the</strong> mansion <strong>was</strong> sold to investors<br />
<strong>and</strong> converted into a hotel that operated from 1925-1959. Henry<br />
Flagler’s gr<strong>and</strong>daughter, Jean Flagler Mat<strong>the</strong>ws learned that <strong>the</strong><br />
mansion <strong>was</strong> to be torn down. She formed a nonprofit corpora-<br />
tion, <strong>the</strong> Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, to purchase <strong>the</strong> prop-<br />
erty in 1959. On February 6, 1960, Whitehall <strong>was</strong> again opened<br />
to <strong>the</strong> public <strong>and</strong> is still in operation today as a museum. Figure<br />
2.<br />
Figure 1. www.flaglermuseum.us/images/stories/general_images/henry_morrison_flagler_museum_facade.jpg<br />
Figure 2. http://www.flagler.org/
Figure 1.<br />
Hurricanes have been a part of<br />
Florida living since <strong>the</strong> beginning,<br />
but <strong>the</strong> state has had its share of<br />
major hurricanes. The Great Miami<br />
Hurricane of 1926 had flooding<br />
<strong>and</strong> destruction that <strong>was</strong> felt as far<br />
north as Palm Beach. O<strong>the</strong>r major<br />
storms that hit Palm Beach includ-<br />
ed 1928 <strong>and</strong> 1947, each causing im-<br />
measurable damage to <strong>the</strong> isl<strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> its coastal neighbors.<br />
Figure 3.<br />
Figure 2.<br />
The damaged caused by <strong>the</strong><br />
1926 <strong>and</strong> 1928 hurricanes<br />
helped push Florida into ex-<br />
periencing effects of <strong>the</strong><br />
Great Depression earlier than<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r parts of <strong>the</strong> country.<br />
Figure 1. 1926 Hurricane. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 83<br />
Figure 2. Photograph of 1926 Great Miami Hurricane. Boggs Private Collection<br />
Figure 1. 1926 Hurricane. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 84-85
The growing popularity of <strong>the</strong> isl<strong>and</strong> nation of Palm Beach spilled<br />
over from seasonal visits to actual full time residents, businesses <strong>and</strong><br />
mansions – all of which needed <strong>the</strong> infrastructure of a workforce.<br />
Across <strong>the</strong> lake, in <strong>the</strong> area which used to be known as “<strong>the</strong> Styx”<br />
<strong>the</strong> city of West Palm <strong>was</strong> growing. Many of <strong>the</strong> employees for Palm<br />
Beach businesses lived in West Palm. Bridges replaced ferries <strong>and</strong><br />
hard packed roads replaced muddy bogs to aid in transporting both<br />
tourists <strong>and</strong> workers onto <strong>the</strong> isl<strong>and</strong>.<br />
Figure 1.<br />
To cope with <strong>the</strong> enormous popularity of The Breakers,<br />
The Circle <strong>was</strong> added in 1928.<br />
Figure 2.<br />
Figure 1. Circle construction. Charles Lockwood, The Breakers A Century of Gr<strong>and</strong> Traditions (The Breakers Palm Beach, Inc., 2004) p. 62<br />
Figure 2. Circle construction. Charles Lockwood, The Breakers A Century of Gr<strong>and</strong> Traditions (The Breakers Palm Beach, Inc., 2004) p. 63
Figure 1.<br />
A unique full time visitor swept through <strong>the</strong> halls <strong>and</strong> golf links of<br />
The Breakers when America <strong>was</strong> thrust into World War II. The prop-<br />
erty <strong>was</strong> transformed into <strong>the</strong> US Army’s Ream General Hospital.<br />
Figure 3.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r host to <strong>the</strong> military <strong>was</strong><br />
Morrison Field which <strong>was</strong> used<br />
by <strong>the</strong> U.S. Army Air Forces dur-<br />
ing World War II. The airfield <strong>was</strong><br />
used for training <strong>and</strong> later as a<br />
staging base for <strong>the</strong> Allied inva-<br />
sion of France, with numerous<br />
aircraft departing Morrison en<br />
route to <strong>the</strong> United Kingdom in<br />
order to take part in <strong>the</strong> D-Day<br />
invasion of Norm<strong>and</strong>y.<br />
With s<strong>and</strong> between <strong>the</strong> toes of soldiers stationed on<br />
<strong>the</strong> grounds as well as <strong>the</strong> legion of health profes-<br />
sionals staffing <strong>the</strong> hospital, many made Palm Beach<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir permanent post war home.<br />
Figure 1 & 3. Paradise in Peril: World War II in Palm Beach County. <strong>John</strong>son History Museum <strong>and</strong> Historical Society of Palm Beach County. (December 7, 2011 - August 18, 2012)
Figure 1.<br />
Figure 1.<br />
The 1950’s <strong>and</strong> 60’s saw massive expansion of Palm Beach County.<br />
Florida’s first turnpike <strong>was</strong> built, allowing easy access for tourists<br />
<strong>and</strong> residents to go from Miami to Fort Pierce with Palm Beach<br />
serving as a major hub. Between 1949 <strong>and</strong> 1959 four new cities<br />
spawned out of <strong>the</strong> once quiet Palm Beach. The beautiful wea<strong>the</strong>r<br />
<strong>and</strong> steady climate also lured businesses like Pratt & Whitney to<br />
<strong>the</strong> county, contributing millions to <strong>the</strong> economy.<br />
Ripley’s Junk, <strong>the</strong> Mon Lei, <strong>was</strong> often<br />
seen in Lake Worth. Robert Ripley of<br />
“Believe it or Not” fame purchased <strong>the</strong><br />
junk 1946. <strong>It</strong>s name means “infinity.” Figure 2.<br />
Figure 3.<br />
Figure 1. 1956 Florida’s first Turnpike. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 173<br />
Figure 2. Ripley’s Junk, <strong>the</strong> Mon Lei. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 146<br />
Figure 3. Elsie Anders <strong>and</strong> Florence Lainhart 1946. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 124
Figure 1.<br />
Figure 3.<br />
The Everglades Club, built in 1918, staged weekly luncheon fashion<br />
shows where <strong>the</strong> latest clo<strong>the</strong>s from around <strong>the</strong> world were parad-<br />
ed on enormous runways. Elizabeth Arden, Sarah Fredericks, Mar-<br />
tha’s, Bonwit Teller <strong>and</strong> Saks would take turns outfitting <strong>the</strong> shows,<br />
representing <strong>the</strong> latest fashions from Paris <strong>and</strong> New York. Inspired<br />
by what <strong>the</strong>y saw, those in attendance would shop afterward. Figure<br />
2.<br />
Worth Avenue now boasts more<br />
than 200 shops, offering every-<br />
thing from world-class designer<br />
jewelry, clothing <strong>and</strong> shoes to<br />
internationally acclaimed paint-<br />
ings <strong>and</strong> antiques. Among <strong>the</strong><br />
oldest retailers on Worth Av-<br />
enue is Kassatly’s Linens, estab-<br />
lishing <strong>the</strong>ir business in 1926<br />
<strong>and</strong> still thriving today. Figure<br />
2.<br />
Figure 1. Worth Ave. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 125<br />
Figure 2. http://www.worth-avenue.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=pages.avenuename&<br />
Figure 3. Worth Ave. Seth Bramson, Historic Photos of Palm Beach County (Turner Publishing Company, 2007) p. 194
Figure 2.<br />
According to early settler accounts,<br />
Palm Beach received its name from a<br />
shipwreck named <strong>the</strong> “Providencia.”<br />
The ship <strong>was</strong>hed ashore in January of<br />
1878 with a load of cocoanuts bound<br />
from Havana to Barcelona. Figure<br />
Notable residents of Palm Beach have<br />
included: Marjorie Merriwea<strong>the</strong>r Post,<br />
E.F. Hutton, Donald Trump, Michael<br />
Jackson, Vera Wang, <strong>and</strong> Rod Stewart.<br />
Figure 2.<br />
1.<br />
Palm Beach <strong>was</strong> incorpo-<br />
rated on April 17, 1911. In<br />
1929, <strong>the</strong> Garden Club of<br />
Palm Beach joined <strong>the</strong> Town<br />
<strong>and</strong> formally sponsored <strong>the</strong><br />
preparation of a Town Plan.<br />
After over 70 years of grace-<br />
ful evolution, <strong>the</strong> Town to-<br />
day has a Strategic Plan <strong>and</strong><br />
a Comprehensive Plan which<br />
guide continuing efforts to<br />
preserve <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>and</strong><br />
beauty of Palm Beach. Figure<br />
Figure 3.<br />
1.<br />
Figure 1. http://palmbeachcentennial.com/a-history-lesson/<br />
Figure 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Beach,_Florida<br />
Figure 3. palmbeachcentennial.com/photos/