Walking tour participants pause at the site of the Orange Grove House of Refuge while local historian Tom Warnke (green cap) describes its history as the first building in the Delray Beach area. The shelter for shipwrecked sailors was built in 1876. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Hannah Spence
There are cities in the United States whose history is well-known, especially to their residents. But despite its rich past, Delray Beach does not seem to get the same kind of attention. The Delray Beach Historical Society is helping change that by resuming walking tours that cover the historic coastline.
“It’s an assemblage of the history of the Delray Beach area going back hundreds of years,” said Tom Warnke, a local historian and the society’s archive coordinator. “We also talk about the natural history going back 10,000 years because that relates to the ocean environment, and a big part of the walk is about the coastal processes and why Delray is so unique.”
The walking tour takes attendees to landmarks such as the Sandoway Discovery Center and the Orange Grove House of Refuge — the first structure in Delray Beach, built when the city was called Linton. The first tour, on Dec. 14, was cut short due to rain. Guests received a rain check to a Jan. 18 tour. Another one will be held on Jan. 25. The society will list other tours online later this month.
Participants were educated on stories from the old days such as when, on a New Year’s Eve during Prohibition, a boat broke up and dozens of cases of rum washed up on the beach. Also provided is information on the Barefoot Mailman, a legendary South Florida symbol.
The historical society is resuming the tours that stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic. Warnke said the tours meet a demand.
“I would even say the majority of people who live here complain that there’s no history, but if they dig down a little bit, there really is a deep history there,” Warnke said.
He said the misconception that Delray Beach does not have an interesting backstory developed because “it just doesn’t look old. If you’re from New England or most places in the country and you come here, the area doesn’t have the architecture that looks old. But even here on Atlantic Avenue, we’ve got structures that are over a hundred years old. A lot repurposed, but like the Colony hotel, it’s still the way it was 100 years ago.”
Participants meet at the Delray Beach Pavilion at the beginning of the tour.
The walk is 2.7 miles long and typically scheduled on a Saturday. Participants follow Warnke through earpieces that enable them to hear from even 50 feet away. Breaks and snacks are incorporated into the event.
The chance to learn is why historical society member Tim Sharp decided to join the walk.
“I’m constantly trying to learn about Delray Beach, its history and what’s going on with the town,” said Sharp, who moved to the city from Boca Raton about three years ago. “I thought this tour sounded like a great opportunity to do that.”
Although Sharp admitted he knew some of the information from reading signs on the beach and generally just being a history buff, he thought Warnke made the walk enjoyable.
“He was really good,” Sharp said. “Very knowledgeable and funny and a wealth of information.”
The tour has people walk right down to the water’s edge to connect with the ocean up close.
“When you connect people with it, they are more likely to want to save it,” said Warnke. “As more and more people move down here, they get to know a little bit more about how we came to be and how we continue to grow.”
If You Go
What: Historic walking tour of A1A in Delray Beach
When: 10 a.m.-noon Jan. 25
Where: Meet at the beach pavilion at Atlantic Avenue and Ocean Boulevard
Cost: $25 for Delray Beach Historical Society members, $30 for others
Info: 561-274-9578;
delraybeachhistory.org, under events
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