Palm Beach County came into existence on July 1st, 1909. The county was created from Dade County, which at the time, stretched from the St. Lucie River to the tip of the Florida Peninsula. The first County Commission meeting was held July 6th. A temporary courthouse was opened in an old schoolhouse at the corner of Clematis Street and Poinsettia Avenue. Palm Beach County is a very large county, and even with the creation of Broward, Martin and Okeechobee counties from the County’s land area, it remains the largest county east of the Mississippi.
The first permanent courthouse was the 1916 Courthouse which has recently been uncovered and restored as closely to the original as possible. That original courthouse saw a duplicate building be built behind it in 1927, the space between filled in 1953 and the entire structure was covered by a wrap around addition in 1972. The restoration which was begun in 2004 was completed in 2007 and the building is once again hosting County offices and the new Palm Beach County History Museum.
| 1513 – Juan Ponce de Leon claims Florida for Spain |
| 1565 – St. Augustine is founded (under Spanish rule) |
| 1696 – Jonathan Dickinson shipwrecked near Jupiter Island. |
| 1763 – Feb. 10th Spain trades Florida to England for Cuba |
| 1783 – England returns Florida to Spain for Bahamas |
| 1795 – Spain establishes Florida’s current boundaries |
| 1818 – First Seminole War occurs |
| 1821 – Feb. 22 – Spain sells Florida to U.S. for $5 million. |
| 1824 – Mosquito County established; includes area of PBC. |
| 1830 – First census has population of S. Florida at 517 pp |
| 1835 – 1842 – Second Seminole War |
| 1840 – Soldiers discover and name Lake Worth |
| 1845 – Florida admitted to the Union as 27th State. |
| 1853 – 1856 – Third Seminole War |
| 1860 – Jupiter lighthouse first lit |
| 1861 – Florida secedes from U.S., joins Confederacy |
| 1873 – First formal homestead claim in Lake Worth region |
| 1876 – Possible hurricane levels settlement. |
| 1878 – The Providencia wrecks off the coast full of 20,000 coconuts – they were distributed and planted |
| 1885 – 1893 – 11 barefoot mailmen carried mail the 136 miles between Palm Beach and Cape Florida. |
| 1886 – The first school is constructed |
| 1887 – Post office established. |
| 1889 – First rail line in South Florida (the Celestial Railroad) born on July 4th |
| 1893 – Henry Flagler, Standard Oil Tycoon, declares Palm Beach a “veritable paradise”. |
| 1894 - Flagler’s Royal Poinciana Hotel is completed. It is the largest wooden structure in the world. |
| 1894 – Flagler’s railroad, FEC Railway arrives |
| 1894 – The City of West Palm Beach is incorporated |
| 1895 – WPB’s first power plant begins operation |
| 1896 – Flagler opens the Palm Beach Inn which becomes the Breakers in 1901. |
| 1900 – West Palm Beach’s population was 564 |
| 1907 – Telephone service established with 18 phones |
| 1909 – Palm Beach County formed, WPB is County Seat |
1909- The Palm Beach County weekly newspaper is
established, later becomes the Palm Beach Post. |
| 1910 – Population of Palm Beach County was 5577 |
| 1911 - Palm Beach incorporated |
| 1912 - First Palm Beach County Fair |
| 1913 - Lake Worth incorporated |
| 1913 - Henry Flagler dies in Palm Beach |
| 1917 - New Palm Beach County Courthouse opens |
| 1920 - County Population: 18,654 |
| 1920 - Port of Palm Beach opens |
| 1920 - Good Samaritan Hospital opens |
| 1920 - Town of Boynton incorporated |
| 1921 - Lantana incorporated |
| 1922 - Pahokee and Riviera incorporated |
| 1923 - Kelsey City incorporated (renamed Lake Park) |
| 1924 - Memorial Library, first permanent library opens |
| 1924 - Connors Highway opens from 20 Mile Bend to Lake Okeechobee |
| 1925 - Jupiter, Gulf Stream and Boca Raton incorporated |
| 1925 - First regular steamship at the Port of Palm Beach |
| 1926 - West Palm Beach Canal opens |
| 1926 - Numerous banks fail |
| 1926 - Greenacres City first incorporated |
| 1926 - Hurricane heavily damages South Florida |
| 1927 - First full-scale sugar operation begins in Glades 1927 - Delray Beach incorporated |
| 1928 - Belle Glade incorporated |
| 1928 - Hurricane crumbles dike around Lake Okeechobee; killing 1,800- 3,000 people. |
| 1930 - County population: 51,781 |
| 1931 - Manalapan and Town of Boynton Beach incorporated (renamed Ocean Ridge in 1937) |
| 1933 - Palm Beach Junior College opens |
| 1936 - First radio station, WJNO-AM 1290 signs on |
| 1936 - New airport, Morrison Field is dedicated |
| 1937 - Town of Golfview chartered |
| 1938 - Flagler Memorial Bridge opens |
| 1940 - County Population: 79,989 |
| 1940 - Morrison Field leased to U.S. Army for an air base |
| 1941 - South Bay incorporated |
| 1946 - Greenacres reincorporates alter disbanding in 1945 |
| 1947 - Mangonia Park and Glen Ridge incorporated |
| 1947 - New airport terminal opens at Palm Beach International Airport |
| 1949 - Highland Beach incorporated |
| 1950 - Town of Haverhill incorporated |
| 1950 - County Population: 114,688 |
| 1950 - Southern Boulevard bridge to Palm Beach opens |
| 1951 - Cloud Lake and Palm Beach Shores incorporated |
| 1951 - Airport reactivated as air base during Korean War |
| 1953 - Juno Beach incorporated |
| 1953 - First television station, WIRK-TV, Channel 21 |
| 1955 - South Palm Beach and Hypoluxo incorporated |
| 1956 - North Palm Beach incorporated |
| 1957 - Sunshine State Parkway, (Turnpike) opens. |
1957 - Village of Golf, Tequesta, Palm Springs and
Lake Clarke Shores incorporated |
| 1958 - County Fair moves to present site |
| 1958 - Pratt & Whitney opens plant |
| 1958 - Beeline Highway opens |
| 1959 - Palm Beach Gardens, Atlantis, Jupiter Inlet Colony and Royal Palm Beach incorporated |
| 1959 - Royal Palm Bridge to Palm Beach opens |
| 1960 - County Population: 228,106 |
| 1961 - RCA opens plant |
| 1963 - West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium opens |
| 1963 - Briny Breezes incorporated |
| 1964 - Hurricane Cleo causes $50 million damage in Palm Beach County |
| 1964 - Florida Atlantic University opens |
| 1966 - New terminal at PBIA is dedicated |
| 1967 - Lion Country Safari opens |
| 1967 - IBM opens in Boca Raton |
| 1967 - West Palm Beach Auditorium opens |
| 1970 - County Population: 348,993 |
| 1976 - 1-95 is completed from Miami to
Palm Beach Gardens |
| 1977 - First snow ever recorded in West Palm Beach |
| 1980 - County Population: 576,812 |
| 1980 – Hurricane David strikes Palm Beach County |
| 1982 - New sheriff’s office and jail opens on Gun Club Rd. |
| 1984 - County Governmental Center opens on Olive Avenue |
| 1987 – I-95 completed between P.G.A. and Ft. Pierce |
| 1988 - New passenger terminal opens at PBIA |
| 1989 - Tri-Rail commuter train begins service |
| 1990 - County Population: 863,518 |
| 1991 - Raymond F. Kravis Center opens |
| 1995 - New County Courthouse is dedicated |
| 1996 – Coral Sky Amphitheater (Cruzan) opens |
| 1996 – Town of Wellington incorporates |
| 1998 – Roger Dean Stadium opens in Jupiter |
| 1999 – Hurricane Irene Strikes Palm Beach County |
| 1999 – Juno Pier opens in Juno Beach |
| 2003 – Palm Beach County Convention Center opens |
| 2004 – Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne strike Palm Beach County within a three week period |
| 2005 – Hurricane Wilma strikes Palm Beach County |
| 2007 – Town of Loxahatchee Groves incorporates |
| 2008 – Lake Region Water Treatment plant opens |
| 2008 - Original 1916 Courthouse opened after four year restoration |
1916 Court House
