By Thom Smith
“You’ve got a nice voice; you should go over to the all-girl radio show,” a newscaster at WEAT (radio and TV then) suggested to the Palm Beach Junior College student he was dating in the mid-’60s.
“And that was it,” Deidre Hal
history (149)
When it opened in 1991, the shopping complex transformed Boca Raton’s downtown into an urban hub
Courtesy of the Boca Raton Historical Society
TOP: The Boca Raton Mall in the ’80s. ABOVE: Cars turn onto Plaza Real in Mizner Park, which replaced the m
Summoning the past
with a concrete cruise along the old road
Australian pines flank A1A in Gulf Stream in 1944.
Courtesy of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County
Boca Ratone by the Sea, a 1923 gas station/dance hall/ fish camp on A1A where the
Mock protesters were part of the fun of the ‘60s exhibit grand opening. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Steve Plunkett
Women in tie-dyed dresses and psychedelic makeup took selfies in the parking lot. Inside, a new exhibit at the Boca Raton Histo
By Ron Hayes
You see it at the movies all the time.
“Inspired by a true story” is the promise at the beginning.
And then, in tiny letters at the end: “Although based on real events …” And you find out that most of what you’ve just se
By Steven J. Smith
Restaurateur Arturo Gismondi confirmed he intends to convert the historic Luff House into a restaurant by this time next year.
The two-story, 2,492-square-foot Luff House — named for pioneer residents Theodore and Harriet
For a child living on beachfront,
intrigue of wartime was exciting
Seen from the Atlantic Ocean is the Sanborn house (left), where Dr. Peter Barrett
recalls a suspected spying incident took place in 1942. The Boca Raton Villas ar
at the center and th
By Steve Pike
It’s surprising whom you’ll find in a cemetery. Janet DeVries and Ginger Pedersen, for example, found such well-known West Palm Beachers as Burt Reynolds, Larry the Cable Guy, Ottis Anderson and Lois Frankel. OK, so none of these fou
Heifer International’s holiday gift catalog.
By Ron Hayes
You’ve probably found the catalog in your mailbox around this time of year.
Amid the booklets for gourmet cheese baskets, fruitcakes and holiday trinkets comes “The Most Important Gi
Young ‘doc’ helped bring horses to Europe after WWII
Now a part-time resident of Briny Breezes, Harold ‘Doc’ Burton
aboard the SS Mercer Victory ship in 1947.
Burton family photo
Related story: Heifer International can arrange animals as gifts
By
Mrs. Arnold MacSpadden (left) with Mrs. Horatio Ebert and Mrs. J. Myer Schine at a 1956 Artists’ Guild fundraiser.
A painting by Albert P. Murrow, circa 1965, of the building at 801 Palmetto Park Road that first housed the Boca Raton Museum of Art an
Plein air artist Ralph Papa sets up his easel to continue working on a painting on a recent Friday in Delray Beach. Plein Air Palm Beach is partnering with the Delray Beach Historical Society to capture the city’s notable homes and buildings, with a
By Tim Pallesen
The abduction and drowning of Circuit Judge Curtis Chillingworth and his wife, Marjorie, from their Manalapan oceanfront home still ranks as the county’s most terrifying crime 60 years later.
It was 1 a.m. on June 15, 1955, when t
David and Edith celebrate their marriage.
By Ron Hayes
Quiet, please, we’re about to begin.
Shortly after 2 p.m. on a sweltering Saturday in May, a caterer moved among the tables in the Briny Breezes Oceanfront Clubhouse, gently ringing a dinner b
Boca Raton Historical Society show explores the area’s love affair with the shore
By Lucy Lazarony
A new exhibition at the Boca Raton Historical Society explores the role of the beach in the history of Boca Raton.
The “Life’s A Beach!” exhibit, w
Warren Adams at the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Lona O’Connor
Warren Adams will be the first to point out that he didn’t invent historic preservation in Boynton Beach. That honor belongs to a dedicated group of prese
By Steve Pike
The Brown Jug — symbol of golf supremacy in Gulf Stream — went to the Little Club on March 26. The host Little Club defeated neighbor St. Andrews Club 18-15 in the annual event that began in 1975.
The tournament, which featur
Delray Beach County Fair, 1913. Delray Beach won many blue ribbons.
Photos courtesy Delray Beach Historical Society
By J.D. Vivian
Ever wonder why the first settlers moved to what is now Delray Beach? Or how the Pineapple Grove district earned its name
The museum building anchors Old School Square, now the cultural hub of Delray Beach. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By Rich Pollack
For three and a half years, Frances Bourque and a small but tireless group worked on an enormous undertaking — which man
Paul Homer, of Boca Raton, leads a nature walk during Sea Turtle Day at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
on Feb. 28. The event featured a critter corner, craft activities, aquarium feedings, nature walks and a food truck area.
Photos by Madeline Gray/The
