Historical Society of Palm Beach County

The Historical Society of Palm Beach County is a non-profit organization whose mission is to collect, preserve and share the history of Palm Beach County. The Society maintains a large library on the history of Palm Beach County, Florida and the Caribbean. Through the Society's archives, which include nearly two million photographic images, maps, newspapers, journals, periodicals, architectural drawings, and research files, the Society maintains an active research facility and documents the people and events that have shaped Palm Beach County. In addition, the multiple educational programs and initiatives of the Historical Society in schools and communities are of primary importance to our mission of building an understanding and appreciation of local history in our children.

After the Historical Society was formed in 1937, West Palm Beach attorney A. Stanley Bussey donated a vintage, black and white photograph of an island street scene to the newly established Historical Society, the first gift to what would become a remarkable collection of artifacts and documents representing the cultures, communities, failures and successes of life in Palm Beach County.

The museum finally solves the problem that has prevented the collection from fully serving its critical purpose: to share and showcase the rich history of Palm Beach County and the larger context of Florida’s heritage dating back at least 12,000 years.