Russell Kelley | Pioneer Era, Flagler Era, and Town of Palm Beach (1872 - 1918)

Palm Beach was settled in the 1870s by hardy pioneers like Elisha N. Newton, who built its first hotel, developed the Royal Park Addition, and was elected the town’s first mayor. In 1894 Henry Flagler put Palm Beach on the map when he built the Royal Poinciana Hotel and a railroad to transport his guests to it. Two years later he built The Breakers. A year before Flagler died, the Town of Palm Beach was incorporated and the first additions, roads, and inlet were built, setting the stage for the land boom of the 1920s.