Historical Society of Palm Beach County

The Historical Society of Palm Beach County operates from its home in the 1916 County Courthouse at 300 N Dixie Highway in downtown West Palm Beach — a restored Beaux-Arts landmark that is itself a significant piece of the history the institution documents. For residents with an interest in understanding the extraordinary story of how Palm Beach County grew from a remote pineapple-growing outpost into one of America's most desirable luxury destinations, the Society's collections are the primary resource.

The Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum on the second floor of the courthouse presents the county's history from its original Seminole inhabitants through the Flagler era that created the framework for modern Palm Beach, to the post-war development boom that shaped the communities WPB condo residents now inhabit. The museum's Flagler-era photography is particularly striking — the contrast between the wilderness that Henry Flagler encountered in 1893 and the gleaming waterfront that exists today is genuinely difficult to process at first viewing.

The Society's archives — roughly four million photographs, documents, maps, and artifacts — are open to researchers and are among the most comprehensive collections of Florida history east of Tallahassee. Walking tours of historic downtown WPB, organized by the Society, are among the best introductions to the city available to new residents.

For WPB condo buyers who want to understand why this city and this corridor are what they are — who built them, what drove the investment, and what the long arc of Palm Beach County's development means for the future — the Historical Society is the starting point.

This guide is provided by DO Homes Group, a West Palm Beach real estate team. For personalized recommendations, contact our team.