Palm Beach

1905

In 1905, Palm Beach, Florida, was blossoming into America’s ritziest winter playground. Nestled along the Atlantic, this sun-soaked island was the brainchild of Henry Flagler, the oil tycoon turned railroad magnate. His Florida East Coast Railway had reached Palm Beach by the 1890s, and by 1905, it was ferrying in the nation’s elite—think Rockefellers and Vanderbilts—eager to escape northern snow for tropical breezes.
The jewel in the crown? Flagler’s Hotel Royal Poinciana, a sprawling wooden palace that, in 1905, was the world’s largest resort, boasting 1,100 rooms. Guests lounged on verandas, sipped cocktails, and pedaled “Afromobiles”—wicker chairs pushed by staff—along palm-lined paths. The Breakers, another Flagler gem, had just reopened after a fire, its opulence dazzling the Gilded Age crowd.
Palm Beach wasn’t just a resort town; it was a social circus. Newspapers buzzed with tales of lavish balls and yacht parties, while locals—mostly fishermen and farmers—watched the wealthy transform their sandy shores. With a population barely topping 1,000, the island’s 1905 vibe was exclusive yet wild, a place where millionaires mingled and modernity met mangrove. Flagler’s vision had struck gold, and Palm Beach was on its way to fame.

Envíado por OldPik el 6 de enero de 2025

Image

 Palm Beach
Debes iniciar sesión para comentar las fotos.
Iniciar sesión

Sin comentarios aún, sé el primero en comentar...

Fotos cercanas

Checking luggage in Palm Beach

STREET SCENE

A unos 39 kilómetros
c. 1948 OldPik

Mary Rountree playing baseball

A unos 92 kilómetros
c. 1890 OldPik

Teacher Tantie Huckabee at the palmetto-covered one-room school

A unos 93 kilómetros

Pin-up models wash the Miami Beach fire department car

A unos 102 kilómetros

Hugh Hefner Fishing

A unos 104 kilómetros

Carmen Mendieta with her husband Calixto García

A unos 104 kilómetros

Traffic Controller

A unos 104 kilómetros

The first mail delivered by Pan American World Airways

A unos 104 kilómetros

Students and teaching staff of the Sebastian American Orphanage

A unos 128 kilómetros