 
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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