Palm Beach County History
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1838
First Settlement
U.S. Army fort built in Jupiter; first permanent non-Native American settlement.
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1860
Lighthouse Keepers
First civilian residents cared for Jupiter Lighthouse.
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Late 1800s
Railroads Arrive
Jupiter & Lake Worth Celestial Railroad and Henry Flagler’s FEC Railroad brought tourism and trade.
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1889
County Seat Relocated
Dade County government moved from Miami to Juno due to high voter turnout (remained until 1899).
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1894
First Municipality
West Palm Beach incorporated; oldest municipality in the county.
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1905
Yamato Colony
Joseph Sakai founded a Japanese farming colony in Boca Raton; George Morikami later donated land for museum & park.
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1909
County Created
Palm Beach County established as Florida’s 47th county, population ~5,300. First meetings held in an old schoolhouse. (Broward 1915, Okeechobee 1917, Martin 1925).
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1936
Airport Opens
Morrison Field (now Palm Beach International Airport) opened; David McCampbell Terminal built in 1988, now 32 gates.
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1963
Lake Okeechobee Division
Three-quarters of Lake Okeechobee reassigned to surrounding counties; final boundary change.
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1909
County Seat Chosen
West Palm Beach selected as county seat; population less than 5,500.
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May 6, 1909
First Commissioners Named
C. W. McPherson, E. F. Bowers, W. H. DaCamara, R. H. Rousseau, and H. J. Niblack appointed as first commissioners. (McPherson & Rousseau previously served Dade County).
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July 5, 1909
First Meeting Held
Commissioners met in West Palm Beach. McPherson, DaCamara, and Rousseau had commissions; Bowers and Niblack did not yet.
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July 6, 1909
Board Organized
Official organization of the Palm Beach County Commission completed.
Palm Beach County Leadership Established
1909
County Commission Starts from Scratch
Leadership & Organization
- Chairman: W. H. DaCamara
- Clerk: Fred E. Fenno
- Districts: 5 commission; 7 justice; 7 precincts
- Attorney: C. E. Chillingworth
- Seal adopted; The Tropical Sun designated official organ
Operations & Decisions
- Bonds approved for key officers
- Books, furniture, fire‑proof safe purchased
- Temporary courthouse: old schoolhouse (Clematis & Poinsetta)
- Deerfield road petition; liquor license application
- Firearms permit granted (William Blackmer)
- $75/mo for clerk & record transcribers
- Auditor to Miami for Dade County financial records