Boynton Beach Historical Society » Attractions

Category Archives: Landmarks

The South Lake Worth (Boynton) Inlet History

By | | , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

SOUTH LAKE WORTH INLET (BOYNTON INLET) 

The Boynton Inlet, or what is officially known as the South Lake Worth Inlet, was a project that took many years to happen. Originally, Lake Worth was a fresh water lake. When the Palm Beach Inlet was opened in the 1800s, it changed to a salt water lagoon. At the far end

The Boynton Inlet

The Boynton Inlet

of the lake, the water was more brackish. Several cities used the lake to dump raw sewage. It was felt that making an additional opening to the sea would help “flush” the lake and to provide access for anglers and sport fishing.

The inlet was opened in 1927, and is a popular recreational spot for picnics and fishing.

The original article from March 17, 1927, announcing the inlet opening, from the Palm Beach Post.

CONNECTING CUT IS MADE AFTER YEARS OF ENGINEERING WORK

Scores Watch Ceremonial Labor at 11 o’clock Wednesday Night

At 11:18 o’clock last night the South Lake Worth Inlet at Boynton became a reality.

For at this hour waters from the Atlantic ocean glided in through the tiny cut, shoveled in the sand, and mingled with the waters of Lake Worth, for the first time at this point, filling the channel cut by a huge clam shell dredge. Dozens of spectators leaned from the bridge, which tops the project, and watched the operations by the glare of large search lights, while others tramped through the sand below to stand on the point to observe the laborers as they shoveled the opening wedge through which the ocean flowed.

Although about two weeks work yet remains for dredging the sand and cutting through part of the rock in the channel, last night’s task marked the official opening of the South Lake Worth inlet and the real termination of the project extending over a period of many years.

The South Lake Worth inlet, connecting the Atlantic ocean and Lake Worth, at a point just north of Boynton and the head of the lake, when completed will be available for pleasure craft, as well as being a vehicle for drainage. A depth of five feet at low tide will be increased to seven at high tide with a space of 154 feet between the two front jetties, and a 32 foot overhead clearance under the bridge.

Conceived in 1923, the project was almost one year in assuming definitive shape at the end of which time plans had been drawn, estimates made, the inlet district created and the project financed. The district extends from Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach to a point one mile south of Boynton.

Riddle Brothers, engineers, were engaged to have charge of the entire projects, and last night both Karl and Kenyon Riddle of the firm, stood on the sands and watched the culmination of the $225,000 project, together with many of the town officials.

The concrete bridge, which has no draw, was completed August 1, 1924. Work started on the inlet proper in September, 1923, first on the solid concrete jetties, both of which withstood both hurricanes last summer without damage. The jetties, according to the engineering are of a peculiar construction, unique along the coast.

A suction dredge has been at work on the channel for some time and on Tuesday of this week the clam shell dredge began operations in a 21 hour-a-day schedule. It is expected that with the opening wedge cut, much of the sand will wash out to sea during high tides.

Lost Tourist Attractions

By | | , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

The Boynton Beach area was home to many well-known tourist attractions of the past. Sadly, these roadside stops no longer exist in today’s Boynton Beach.

James Melton’s Autorama – Located on US 1 in Hypoluxo, famous tenor James Melton displayed his extensive automobile collection to the public. Muralist Bernard Thomas painted a western themed mural in one of the museum halls. Mr. Melton’s untimely death in 1962 led to the closing of the museum. The property was sold and became a development.

Bianca’s Birds – This attraction on US 1 featured performing birds and a mock Seminole Indian village. Guests could dock boats or park on the premises. Later the property became a trailer park, then a residential development.

Knollwood Groves – Open from 1933 until 2005, this Lawrence Road attraction

Knollwood Groves

Knollwood Groves

featured citrus shipping, famous apple pies, a train ride through the groves and alligator wrestling and a hammock area with a recreated Seminole Indian village. It is now the Knollwood residential development.

Madison’s Jungle Garden – Located on Military Trail north of Gateway Boulevard, this tiny attraction was a rest stop for travelers. Several animals were on display in a small zoo. The Madisons made items to sell to the tourists such as orange blossom perfume, palmetto hats and pepper hot sauce.

Palm Beach Groves – Operated for decades by the Shelton Family, this attraction featured a tour of the groves, sausage trees and an extensive store for Florida produce and souvenirs. Its peacock flock survives in the nearby Fox Hollow neighborhood.

Rainbow Tropical Gardens – This beautiful garden on US 1 featured beautiful landscaping and lagoons with small fancy buildings throughout the property. The main building is today’s Benvenuto Restaurant, while the back of the property is a residential development. A few of the small garden structures survive on private property.

Waite’s Bird Farm – Located on US 1 north of Boynton Beach, this attraction was originally the Lewis Bird Farm.  Howard and Angela Waite owned and operated the zoo and pet shop. It featured trained birds, alligators, monkeys and other animals, and birds were raised and sold as pets. The building still stands with a different occupant.

The Coquimbo Shipwreck: A Tale of Adventure, Rescue, and Legacy

By | | , , , ,
Leave a comment

THE COQUIMBO SHIPWRECK: A TALE OF ADVENTURE, RESCUE, AND LEGACY

by Janet DeVries Naughton

The Coquimbo loaded with lumber, ashore 1/2 mile below the Boynton Hotel (Photo credit: Martin County Digital)

THE SHIP

In the early morning hours of a brisk January morning in 1909, the residents of Boynton awoke to a surprising sight. Just beyond the breakers, a large sailing ship loomed in the shadows, its masts towering above the water. The ship, a Norwegian barkentine named Coquimbo, had run aground on the offshore reef.

Lumber Bark Ashore (2 Feb 1909 Gulfport Record)

 

Built in Glasgow in 1876, the Coquimbo was a classic example of a lumber ship, designed to carry vast quantities of timber across the oceans. With two square-rigged masts forward and a schooner-rigged mast aft, the Coquimbo was a formidable vessel, one that had seen its share of rough seas and long voyages.

A small boat and several men readying to go out to the stranded Coquimbo (Photo credit: Martin County Digital)

The Coquimbo, destined for Buenos Aires, carried longleaf pine lumber grown in Gulfport, Mississippi. But as she sailed down the coast of Florida, disaster struck. Whether due to navigational error or the treacherous nature of the reef, the ship found herself hopelessly stranded. Aboard were fifteen men: three Swedes, one Dane, one Finn, and ten Norwegians, led by their captain, I. Clausen. They were now at the mercy of the sea and the elements, their ship a helpless giant stuck fast on the coral.

THE RESCUE

Word of the stranded ship spread quickly among Boynton residents. By midmorning, settlers rushed to the scene, eager to assist in the rescue. They crossed the canal, now known as the Intracoastal Waterway, on a hand-pulled skiff, determined to help the crew. According to oral history accounts, a breeches buoy transported the fifteen men to the beach.

Cargo little value to wreckers (4 Feb 1909, Miami Morning News-Record)

For the next two months, the crew of the Coquimbo made their home on the beach, camping under makeshift tents fashioned from the ship’s sails. The weather was often chilly, and blustery, but the men endured, waiting for a steam tug to arrive from Key West to free their ship. The tug finally arrived, but despite days of effort, the Coquimbo remained stubbornly grounded. By May, the relentless pounding of the waves began to break up her hull, sealing her fate as a permanent fixture on the reef.

THE LUMBER

With the ship beyond saving, attention turned to her cargo: the precious lumber. According to pioneer Bertha Williams Chadwell, within days, a bonanza of long-leaf pine began washing ashore, scattered along a one-mile stretch of Boynton Beach. The settlers wasted no time in salvaging the timber. Families scrambled to pull the logs from the surf, stacking them in huge piles.

Men standing on the beach with dories laden with goods from the Coquimbo (shown in background) Photo courtesy of the Boynton Beach Historical Society

Capt. Clausen stayed at the Boynton Hotel and places ads in newspapers advising that the Coquimbo rigging, tackle, lumber and provisions were to be sold at Public Auction (24 Mar 1909)

 

 

 

A U.S. Marshall eventually arrived and declared that all the wood would have to be auctioned. However, he permitted the Boynton men to mark their piles, allowing them to purchase the lumber at low bids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marine underwriters Vernon Price-Williams selling Coquimbo lumber at auction (7 May 1909)

 

The remaining lumber was bought by a salvager from Key West, who had been informed of the wreck by the unsuccessful tugboat captain. This salvager constructed a miniature railroad that ran from the beach to the Intracoastal Waterway, using six oxen to pull a small car loaded with timber to a waiting barge. The lumber was then transported to Key West, where it was used to construct homes in what was, at the time, the wealthiest city in Florida.

 

 

 

THE LEGACY

The Coquimbo’s lumber played a significant role in the development of Boynton Beach and the surrounding area. Many of the early homes and businesses in Boynton were built with the salvaged wood, including the original Boynton Beach Woman’s Club, which once stood on Ocean Avenue.

The Boynton Woman’s Club building on Ocean Avenue was built from lumber salvaged from the Coquimbo. The building lasted nearly a century and was demolished for the 500 Ocean apartment complex (Photograph: Richard Katz)

The ship’s salvaged bell continued to ring at First United Methodist Church for a couple decades, and today hangs outside St. Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church. The wood, auctioned to the settlers, became an integral part of the town’s architectural history.

Horace B. Murray house, constructed with longleaf pine from the Coquimbo cargo

SKELETAL REMAINS

The Coquimbo herself, though, did not disappear entirely. In 1997, a magnetometer survey off the coast of Briny Breezes revealed remnants of a sailing ship. The survey team, led by local historian Steve Singer, concluded that the wreckage belonged to the Coquimbo. The ship’s bow, two masts, and other wreckage were now exposed, lying about 350 yards offshore in 15 to 17 feet of water.

An underwater photo of what Steven Dennison says is the 1909 wreck of the Coquimbo (2013, Steven Dennison photographer)

The wreckage was soon reburied under the shifting sands, only to be uncovered again in 2013 by Hurricane Sandy. It was during this time that Steven Dennison, a local resident, stumbled upon the shipwreck while snorkeling. Dennison had been exploring the waters off Ocean Ridge when he noticed something unusual on the ocean floor. As he swam closer, he realized he had discovered the long-lost Coquimbo. He found that the ship’s structure was remarkably well-preserved, with the bow, masts, and steering mechanism still intact. He shared his discovery with Joe Masterson, founder of the Marine Archaeological Research and Conservation group, who confirmed that the wreck was indeed the Coquimbo. By April 2013, the shifting sands had once again buried the ship, leaving no trace of her on the ocean floor.

LOCAL HERITAGE

The story of the Coquimbo is more than just a tale of a shipwreck; it is a story of resilience, community, and the enduring legacy of the past. The ship’s lumber helped build a town, and her wreckage continues to intrigue and inspire those who learn of her fate. The Coquimbo may be hidden beneath the sand, but her story lives on in the memories of those who cherish the history of Boynton Beach.

SOURCES

Blackerby, Cheryl. 2013. History Revealed: Sandy Uncovers Final Resting Spot of Norwegian Freighter The Coquimbo. The Coastal Star https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/history-revealed-sandy-uncovers-final-resting-spot-of-norwegian-f

Castello, David. Wreck of the Coquimbo. https://www.boyntonbeach.com/history-of-boynton-beach/coquimbo/

Naughton, Janet DeVries. 2015. Discovery of Unusual Postcard of the 1909 Shipwreck Coquimbo and the Tale of Two Clydes. Boynton Beach Historical Society

Nichols, James H. 1980. The Wreck of the Coquimbo, Palm Beach Daily News

Singer, Steve. Norwegian Bark Coquimbo. https://www.anchorexplorations.com/bark-coquimbo-shipwreck?fbclid=IwY2xjawEyEA1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVV-FT-WwwaH1fJmkGniYXtICj7sd6NnxfKUu6rnm-DNRrBCvIawlP8AHQ_aem_-qb8i1c6iBzglJoER1HWQQ

Willoughby, Hugh de Laussat II, 1885-1956, “Launching a boat, Winter 1912,” Martin Digital History, accessed August 20, 2024, http://www.martindigitalhistory.org/items/show/5992.

ORAL HISTORIES

Chadwell, Bertha Daugharty Williams, 1979, Boynton Beach City Library

Murray, Glenn L. 1978, Boynton Beach City Library

NEWSPAPERS

Daily Press, Newport News, VA

The Evening Mail, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Gulfport Record, Gulfport. Mississipi

The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia

Miami Morning News-Record, Miami

The Miami News, Miami

The Ocala Evening Star, Ocala

The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach

South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia

The Roanoke Times, Roanoke Virginia

South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale

Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Virginia

 

 

 

Legend of the Boynton Caves

By | | , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

LEGEND OF THE BOYNTON CAVES

Postcard image with Charles Leon Pierce, son of barefoot mailman Charlie Pierce, at the cave’s entrance, ca. 1910

Mention the Briny Breezes area caves to local old timers, and the stories begin—Tales of pirates, hidden treasure, skeletons, boot-leggers, and Al Capone surface.

Many Tourists Visit the “Caves” of Delray (24 Feb 1920, The Palm Beach Post)

 

The Confederate Army hid in the connecting caves (Dillon), local children played in them, motorcycle gangs rode up from Miami to see them, the barefoot mailman took refuge and slept in them, and teenagers followed the underground caverns into nearby mansions basements to raid wine cellars.

 

Lyman Boomer’s map of the Boynton area as he remembered it as it was in 1910 (he noted “to the Old Cave” on the far left).

Naturalist and illustrator Lyman Boomer mentioned the caves on his map depicting Boynton in 1909-1910.

Sailor Jim’s Cave by Pat Enright

 

Delray author/illustrator W.J. Pat Enright, who moved to Delray in the 1930s, coined the cave “Sailor Jim’s Cave” with his 1951 adventure novel about a mystery of buried treasure in Florida. Enright’s juvenile fiction title is available to read free on Archive.org. The author describes the old hermit’s coastal cave dwelling beginning on page 110.

 

Delray Cave Inspires Noted Cartoonist
(5 Nov. 1951, The Miami News).

 

Although archaeological evidence proves that the mysterious caves were in today’s Gulf Stream (south of Gulf Stream beach), generations of people who grew up in coastal Boynton/Delray remember the rocky outcroppings and underground caverns accessible at low tide, but many have trouble remembering where they were.

 

Bluffs along the Atlantic coast in Manalapan (ca. 1920, A. Roman Pierson).

 

Located below a dune overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the caves are about midway between Boynton and Delray Beach, south of Briny Breezes.

Roadside sign on South Ocean Blvd.

 

Long before luxury residences and condominiums lined much of Ocean Blvd., the vast beaches with rocky overlooks were an unobstructed paradise and veritable playground for locals and visitors.

Century-old newspapers mention the caves as tourist attractions, and a real photo postal card mailed in 1910 depicts Chuck Pierce, son of famed pioneer barefoot mail carrier Charlie W. Pierce, posing outside of such coastal caverns.

Palm Beach County archaeologists Dorothy Block and Chris Davenport are familiar with the cave. Davenport told me the Florida Master Site File lists the location as Boynton Cave.  Block maintained the Boynton Cave (dwelling site) hails from the Glades I through the Historic period and represents one of 30 coastal Palm Beach County archaeological sites.

Prehistoric native Americans, probably the Jeaga, lived in them, used the rock slabs as tables, and left ancient artwork and messages on the ceilings. Anthropologist John M. Goggin described the cave as he found it in 1949:

A large cave in a coquina outcropping faces the old beach road. One entrance is only a couple of feet east of the road, the major entrance is no more than twenty feet from the road. This entrance, about twenty-five feet long and three to four feet high, opens into the largest of two connecting chambers. This room, about thirty-five feet wide slopes steeply down from the entrance, with the lowest part of the floor about nine or ten feet below the roof at the entrance…The ocean beach is only about 200 feet or less to the east of the cave entrance…Both the cave and the surrounding area have served as Indian camping spots as evidenced by sherds…Further evidence of Indian occupancy is a large painting on the roof of the main chamber. This is composed of several simple motifs painted in burnt sienna color (Goggin, 1949, 376-377).

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CAVES?

Site of the old Gulfstream Polo Fields on the Atlantic Ocean
1. Caves in the coral rock

According to a local on our Facebook page, Dennis Evangelist, a Bank of America banker built his house on the cave site in the late 1960s/early1970s. Evangelist recalled: “We rode our bikes over the Eighth Street bridge from the Lake Ida area to the Boynton Inlet to catch catfish and would stop by the cave to look around and sometimes snorkel.” Another cave entrance was reportedly barricaded in the early 2000s when a house above it collapsed while digging a swimming pool.

Blowing Rocks Nature Preserve, Jupiter, Florida

With the entrance sealed up and houses over the caves, it’s easy to dismiss the subterranean Boynton Caves as an urban legend. However, those familiar with the Florida coast know that caves existed along the beach’s ridge. Even the famed Boynton Oceanfront Hotel was built on a coastal ridge. Hence, the names Ocean Ridge and Highland Beach.

If you’ve ever been to Jupiter’s Blowing Rocks Nature Preserve, you can see its limestone outcropping with its solution hole spouts. Travel west, and the old coastline of 10,000 years ago can be recognized by a crest of higher land about a mile inland (High Ridge Road).

Cave Location

 

My husband and I rode bikes through Gulf Stream and marveled at the rocky ridges bordering some of the neighborhood’s most attractive homes. Across from Gulf Stream school is a public beach access (we had to walk the bicycles).

 

 

Once you enter the beach area, look north, and notice the large, partially submerged rock formation. The underground cave is below and to the west. If you are at Gulfstream Park, walk south on the beach to find the outcropping.

 

East entrance to the Boynton Cave (now sealed off)

 

REFERENCES

Block, Dorothy. (2023). Three Thousand Years in Paradise: Coastal Archaeology in Central Palm Beach County. Vol. 76, No. 2 The Florida Anthropologist.

Dillon, Rodney, (1982 October 24) Confederates Escape off Southern Palm Beach County. Fort Lauderdale News).

Enright, Walter J. Pat. (1951). Sailor Jim’s Cave: A Mystery of Buried Treasure in Florida. Dodd Mead, New York. Internet Archive. Sailor Jim’s cave : a mystery of buried treasure in Florida : Enright, Walter J. Pat, 1879- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Florida Division of Historic Resources. (2024). Florida Master Site File Florida Master Site File – Division of Historical Resources – Florida Department of State

Goggin, John M. (1949). Archeology of the Glades Area, Southern Florida. P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History, Gainesville.

Historical Society Officers Conduct Award Winning Historic Moonlight Cemetery Tours

By | | , , ,
Leave a comment

Woodlawn Cemetery Tours

For more information and to register please call the City of West Palm Beach at 561-804-4900

Woodlawn Cemetery - Palm Beach's oldest gated community

2023 Tours

Friday, February 3, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, March 3, 6:30 p.m

Thursday, April 6, 6:30 p.m

Sponsored by the City of West Palm Beach – Historic Preservation Program & Parks and Recreation Division

Moonlight Cemetery Tours of Woodlawn Cemetery conducted by Boynton Beach Historical Society officers Janet DeVries and Ginger Pedersen, Palm Beach County historians and authors of “Pioneering Palm Beach: The Deweys and the South Florida Frontier,” and “The Collected Works of Byrd Spilman Dewey.”

Look for more cemetery tours for Delray, Boynton Boca Raton & Lantana cemeteries coming soon!

Woodlawn Cemetery at dusk.

Woodlawn Cemetery at dusk.

These award-winning history tours are limited to 50 guests, and a $5.00 donation is appreciated and will be used to help restore this historic cemetery. The tour will cover some of the most prominent pioneer families who arrived in the area more than 100 years ago.

chillingworthAlong with a couple dozen other interesting pioneers, Charlie Pierce, Florida’s famous barefoot mailman and Boynton’s first postmaster is featured along with Anna and Albert Parker, Maj. Nathan S. Boynton’s daughter and son-in-law. Mr. Parker managed the Boynton Hotel.

 

Several of South Florida's barefoot mailmen. Charles "Charlie" Pierce on the right.

Several of South Florida’s barefoot mailmen. Charles “Charlie” Pierce on the right.

 

PLEASE BRING: A flashlight, bug repellent, water (there are no facilities on-site).

PLEASE WEAR: Closed-toed shoes such as sneakers.

LOCATION: 1500 South Dixie Highway, across from the Norton Gallery. Parking is available on-site inside cemetery gates.

ALL TOURS BEGIN AT 6:30 PM or 7:30 PM dependent upon daylight savings time. PLEASE ARRIVE AT LEAST 15 MINUTES EARLY FOR CHECK-IN.

Rain Policy: If heavy rain occurs on the night scheduled, the tour will be held the following evening. If it rains on the next night also, the tours is suspended for that month.