Those of you who have known me over the years or have read my postings on this website know that I am a long-time (like my whole life, maybe?) Florida history fan/nut/aficionado.  In recent years I've joined a number of the state and local history societies even though I've been living overseas for much of the past ten years and am currently living in north Florida.

Although North Palm Beach doesn't have a society, they now have an official historian who is based at the North Palm Beach Public Library and is interested in talking to those of us who were around when North Palm Beach was getting started in the late 50s or who moved there shortly thereafter, say if one of your parents worked for Pratt&Whitney, RCA, etc. If you're interested, you can contact Rosa Godshall-Holden at author.rosa.sophia@gmail.com directly. She would love to hear from you. And get in touch with me, for that matter, if you have any questions. Thanks.

Ray

 My father was the Lake Park Town Historian for many years.  He's now living with my niece in her new home off North Lake Blvd. way out where it becomes West Palm Beach.  

He had the notes and sketches for the original survey of Lake Worth Lagoon and the surrounding lands at his house at Park Avenue and 6th Street.  My niece went through the house over a year ago and threw out many many things.  But there is a chance that those notes still exist.

My father knows quite a bit about North Palm Beach.  He built many homes there in the 50s and 60s.

Call him in the evening after 9PM:  561 543-7326 He is William Otterson Sr. Call him Bill.

Bill:

Thanks a lot. This can be of tremendous help, since I'm also trying to run down a puzzle for the Lake Park Historical Society. Back in 1961 the legislature passed a law which dis-estbalished the town of Lake Park for one day and then re-established it. It supposedly had something to do with clearing up an ambiguous boundary between Lake Park and North Palm Beach along Rt 1, but other than the statute, I have no other documentation. I strongly suspect McArthur involvement, but have nothing to go on at the moment.

Although I currently live in north Florida, I plan to be down in Palm Beach County Friday through Wednesday, and will be stopping in at the Lake Park Historical Society Tuesday morning.  Although I have never met her in person but have tlaked on the phone with her, Dorothy Gooding--who taught at both Riviera and Lake Park Elementary schools in our day--is still active in the Society.

BTW, I lived on both the 800 block of Evergreen and later on the 700 block of Magnolia during my high school and PBJC years.

Thanks again.

Ray Eberling                                                                                                                     Class of 1966

Isn't that how NorthLake Blvd got it's name?  That became the official boundary between North Palm Beach and Lake Park. 

Sarah:

I believe so. I think it was called simply Lake Park Road, and when we were in high school I think west of town it was still called Lake Park Road. I think the boundary discrepancy was where they built the Food Fair, circa 1958-59 (which became the Twin City Mall).  That area was south of North Lake, but was considered part of North Palm Beach (and may still be, for all I know).

Thanks for checking in.

Ray

 There's some jerrymandering around the former Twin Cities Mall.  Same with the parking lot out where Target is located.  I think the parking lot is in Palm Beach Gardens.

 Bill: Thanks. That's my understanding, at least the Twin Cities part. I may need another road trip to Tallahassee to do some more digging.  BTW, where in Lake Park and NPB did you father build houses, and was he doing as far back as the late 50s? Did he have his own company or work for one of the other contractors? Ray

My father was a contractor when he built houses in LP and NPB.  In LP he built duplexes on Silver Beach Road and on 9th Street.  He built houses on 7th and Park Ave and on Flagler as well as Evergreen between 8th and 9th and on 2nd Street.  The houses on Flagler near Ilex with columns, he designed and built.

In NPB he built several large houses east of US1 some on Lake Worth.  He also built on the Golf Course.  I spent a Summer working on one of those houses.  Also  on the street south of Lighthouse where the bridge crosses the canal.

 Bill:

Interesting: He may have built our first house at 828 Evergreen (south side of the street, jalousie windows, terrazzo floors, carport). We bought it in 63, but it would have been built sometime in the late 50s.

Ray

Raymond (Ray) Eberling wrote:

 I think the houses he built on that block of Evergreen around 1960 were on the north side of the street.  He built a couple on spec and used one as a sales office until it sold.  Price was well under $20K.  As I recall Dennis Mulvihill (65) lived just east of those houses.

Ray,

     I remember the Food Fair and you are correct.  That was the dispute.  You are also correct about Lake Park Road.  We moved to Florida in 1959, my birthday to be exact.  My father had relocated to Florida a year earlier to set up his dept of Research and Development for Pratt and Whitney.  When that was done, he moved his family down.  We first rented on Inlet Road in North Palm Beach.  At that time North Palm Beach was basically a horseshoe (Anchorage drive), with a few streets after that.  We moved to Privateer in 1961.  By that time North Palm Beach had boomed.  Keep the history coming.  I love it.

       Sarah

The Streets were in alphabetical order.  The Street would have begun with an "M".

I lived in  the duplex in front of North Palm Beach Elem and The City Hall when I was in 5th grade.(off Anchorage Drive) My girlfriends father was the Village Mgr bit I can't remember his last name. First name was Al I believe. My step-father worked for the Village of North Palm Beach. I have lived in Palm Beach Gardens,Riviera Beach( in the duplex on Silver Beach Road) and Lake Park off Northlake Blvd.  I haven't been back for 30 years, doubt I would recognize anything now. My 87 year old mother would probably remember it all, tho!  (But not what she ate for breakfast....)

I moved to North Palm Beach in the summer of 1958. There was a village manager there around that time with the last name "Olsen". 

Yes, that's it!  His daughter's name was Karen Olsen.  Thanks for the refresher!

Thank-you both, Walt and Cheri. I will pass this along to the NPB historian when I'm down that way late rin the month.  Ray

Sarah-  I think that would be Marlin Road, Between  Lighthouse Drive and Oyster Road.

Yes, you are right Sherri.  There were two brothers that lived on that road, but I forgot their names.

If you are talking about the brothers who lived on Marlin Rd. It may be the Griffins. Joe Griffin went to Cardinal Newman though. There was an older son who passed away at an early age, and also one other younger brother. BTW are you related to Judy (or Judi) Phillips?

Yes, she is my sister.  Judie married, had a family, and emparked on a very successful career.  She is retired now and enjoying her family.