The Palm Coast Historical Society is moving its home yet again. This time, it’s moving to Holland Park in Palm Coast, where it will occupy the so-called Activity Room B. The Palm Coast City Council approved a three-year lease of the space, at no cost to the society, at a meeting on Tuesday. The lease will be formalized by a vote of the council next week.
The society has been a semi-nomadic organization since the city’s founding.
“When ITT left, Mayor Jim canfield accepted boxes and boxes and boxes of these materials from ITT and filled up his garage,” Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts said. The material was turned over to the society (Canfield is one of its officers) currently headed by Art Dycke, the city historian.
The society has been looking for a permanent home since. It spent time at the Palm Coast Community Center on Palm Coast Parkway, at a site on Hargrove Grade, and most recently in a room at Matanzas High School. But the district needed the room back. So the city made the Holland Park space available.
The arrangement drew a few questions from City Council member Bill McGuire, who wondered why a private organization was getting a city subsidy. But Netts called the relationship with the historical society “unique” because of those founding records it holds. The society is benefiting from a $3,000 city grant this year.
confidential says
To Councilman Bill McGuire. Without History preserved by private volunteers, we have no foundation for our Future! Imagine our USA without documented history, that we enjoy today thanks to those dedicated private events accounts keepers that need a little support sometimes.
The Palm Coast Historical Society had been the dedicated and volunteer guard of the recorded events that since late 1960’s materialized the creation by Levitt-ITT CDC of the Palm Coast Community, that put Flagler County on the map, wether for better or for worst some will say. The beautiful place that you Bill and us chose to come and live in! Flagler County have their Historical Society stewards of their history and they also get a little help and they even have their Museum. Then why not Palm Coast Historical Society also get a little help this time in need?
We should all support our Palm Coast Historical Society by organizing fund raising events while learning of how we got to what we see today, aiming at one day, after saving enough funds to buy their own location for a small museum of our rich history of how; 20,000 wild acres purchase agreement in June 1969 between ITT and Rayonier, started the development of 300 miles of our canals to back fill the lots our homes are located today. The brave first families pioneers buying the residences for year around or for vacation in water front canal lots with no water on it yet and for a while dry. Those first Palm Coasters were as brave as our Florida pioneers settling the state “cracking” the whip on those oxen pulled wagons fighting mosquitos, gators, snakes and fending off from our brave primitive residents “welcome wagon”
I am not wealthy but if I would, or win the lottery, I would have bought that “first house built by ITT” of Clubhouse Drive on Casper Drive adjacent to the North corner vacant parcel own by us all aka city.That house is still up for sale now, we could locate our Palm Coast Museum run by our Palm Coast Historical Society there. But that is only a wish, that only the wish of our residents could help achieve.
Bill if you are not yet …please become a member of the Palm Coast Historical Society. Ask them for one of their historical events books “Al Smollen The Father of Palm Coast” and seat reading shaded under our heavenly hammock and enjoy it! Also please come to the meeting Monday May 20 from 1 to 2.30 PM at the Community Center located in Clubhouse Drive between the Palm Coast Parkway NE and SE hosted by the Historical Society members. All are invited to learn about our interesting history while enjoying some light refreshments. My sincere appreciation to all society members volunteers working hard to preserve Palm Coast History.
Brad W says
I’m wondering how much has been digitized? We have a great history and digital will preserve that story for many years to come and allow for really interesting ways to tell it too.
tulip says
I LOVE looking at pictures and articles about the beginnings of Palm Coast and I also love looking at pics, etc. of places in Flagler County waaaaaaaay back when and seeing the differences between
then and how it is now. I moved here in 1997, but had a friend here that got burned out in the 1985 fires. Shortly after moving here, I went to the library and they had the old newspaper and picture archives of the ’85’ fire. I sat there and studied it all, because now I was a little familiar with places and streets here. I don’t know if those papers are still available or not.
Anyway. history should be preserved in order that future generations can see what life was like “back then” and how it is for them now..
I certainly don’t mind letting them have space at no cost.