Saturday, February 15, 2014

The Early History Of Delray Beach In Florida

By Jony Mozen


The early history of Delray Beach reveals this portion of land that is now among the most valued in Florida had no recorded human activities till 1870s when the then governor of Florida by the name William Gleason and his wife bought some land from the southeast of Florida. The construction of the Orange Grove House of refugees by the United States of American Life-Saving Services in 1876 marks the major interest of people in this land. The Orange Grove was constructed to act as a rescue house for the victims from the shipwreck in the nearby ocean.

The major economic activity started by the interests of some refugees of African-American decent in farming at the west of the Grove House of Refugees in 1884. Having seen the agricultural potential of this land, the then Michigan postmaster named Linton bought large pieces of land for agriculture. This attracted the attention of Henry Flagler who together with his team built a railway station for East Coast Railroad Company which was completed in 1896.

The period of 1894 to 1990 witnessed different people from many parts of the world immigrating to this place. Other than the Florida natives, there were Germans and other settlers who were after adventure, freedom and economic opportunities that this new haven could offer. The residents of this place had displayed a distinct behavior as evidenced by their early interest in art, education, religion, sports and even the level of bond holding the community together.

The town was initially referred to as Linton after one of its pioneer farmers but the name changed to Delray in 1898 when he left. The name came from a Spanish word which translates to of the King. William Linton left the town after a devastating winter effect that left most of his crops destroyed.

With the booming agriculture and fishing in the area, the economy took a turn for better when tourism and real estate became the focus in 1920s. There was construction of major hotels and other modern infrastructure including roads and decent houses.

The town became even more significant in 1923 with the beach area around the canal at the east coast of Florida merged with it to form the City of Delray Beach. Another significant merger took place in 1927 as the towns at the east and west of Canal became part of the city. The tourism and real estate in addition to the native economical activities of farming and fishing made the town blossom into a sparkling resort town centered in a thriving winter colony.

As revealed by the early history of Delray Beach, this is a town that has grown from such a humble beginning but now pride itself with some of the best beach resorts and restaurant in United States. This, in addition to several historical sites remains attractive to both natives and foreigners.

The patriotism of residents of this people was tested during the Second World War which saw the natives up in arms jealously guarding their city 24 hours a day and night with the assistance of military personnel patrolling at the beach. The life in the city went a notch higher after the war with area ranking as one of the destination areas in United States. Many prominent figures were attracted by polo games and Polo Ball common in Boca Raton.

Living and witnessing the Delray Beach Florida history will be a fulfillment of lifetime dreams. The town is fast growing to take its real place in the modern America and it remains welcoming as it has always does throughout ht history to adventure seekers.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment