It was 1894, one year after the last Barefoot
Mailman walked along its sandy shores and two years before
Henry Flagler built his famous railroad, that a former Civil
War major from Port Huron, Michigan named Nathan
S. Boynton first set eyes on the area that now bears his
name.
He was so impressed by the natural beauty of
what he saw, the year-round sunshine and pristine beaches, that
he returned a year later with a group of colonists and built
the famous Boynton Beach Hotel to serve as his family's summer residence.
The first settlers soon realized that an unlimited
assortment of fruits and vegetables thrived in the fertile climate.
Cultivated pineapples, tomatoes, mangos, oranges, lemons, grapefruits
and limes were packed in crates and shipped by the ton on the
newly built Florida East Coast Railroad to satisfy the appetites
of hungry Americans across the country.
Boynton Beach remained a fairly unknown tropical
paradise known for its perfect weather and delicious produce
until the end of World War Two.
Soldiers returning home from the war discovered
that the small town located only fifty miles north of Miami
was an extraordinarilly healthy place to raise a family. In
addition, Boynton's close proximity to the Atlantic's Gulfstream
soon yielded a bonanza of world-record catches and guaranteed
that the best kept secret on Florida's Gold Coast would be a
secret no longer.
Since that time, Boynton Beach has grown steadily
and never looked back. The city's population has risen from
5,000 in 1958 to a present number of approximately 60,000 residents.
Most importantly, Boynton Beach has expanded wisely, retaining
the charm of her orange groves, fishing marina and sandy beaches.
Major Boynton and his colorful hotel have long
passed into the annals of history, but the irresistable qualities
that attracted him and the city's first settlers remain as strong
as ever to entice a new generation of visitors and residents.
David
J Castello
PAGES FROM BOYNTON BEACH HISTORY
THE BAREFOOT MAILMAN (1885-1893)
THE BOYNTON BEACH HOTEL (1896-1925)
THE WRECK OF THE COQUIMBO (1909)
NATHAN S. BOYNTON (1837-1911)
BOYNTON'S INDIAN MOUNDS (1000BC-1700AD)
Vintage Boynton
Beach Photo Postcards
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