Palm Beach, Florida Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === 1940β1960 === [[File:The old Biltmore on Palm Beach, Lake Worth , West Palm Beach, Florida - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The Biltmore Hotel (now the Palm Beach Biltmore Condominiums), converted into a U.S. Naval Special Hospital and [[SPARS]] training school during [[World War II]]]] Palm Beach's population grew from 1,707 in 1930 to 3,747 in 1940, a 119.5% increase. The Royal Poinciana Hotel, damaged heavily in the 1928 hurricane, also suffered greatly during the [[Great Depression]], and was demolished in 1935. Around 4,000 people purchased the salvageable remains of the hotel. ''The Palm Beach-Post Times'' estimated some 500 homes could be built from the scraps of the hotel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49494078/the-palm-beach-post/|title=Profiting from failure |first=Julie |last=Waresh |date=May 30, 1999|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=1F|access-date=April 24, 2020|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Residents of Palm Beach established the [[Society of the Four Arts]] on January 14, 1936, with Hugh Dillman as the first president.<ref name="timeline3">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49495407/palm-beach-daily-news/|title=Timeline|page=B7|newspaper=Palm Beach Daily News|date=February 9, 1997|access-date=June 5, 2020|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The 1930s decade also saw the construction of the Flagler Memorial Bridge, the northernmost bridge linking Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, completed on July 1, 1938.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88611550/the-palm-beach-post/|title=This week in history: Flagler Memorial Bridge opens|date=June 27, 2011|page=1B|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|access-date=November 9, 2021|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Palm Beach mayor James M. Owens acted as master of ceremonies for the bridge's opening, while thenβ[[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] [[Charles O. Andrews]] and former U.S. senator [[Scott Loftin]] gave speeches during the event.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49347370/the-palm-beach-post/|title=Flagler Bridge Dedication Program Will Open Formally Memorial Span To Traffic|date=July 1, 1938|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=1|access-date=May 13, 2020|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Early in [[World War II]], the [[United States Army]] established a Ranger camp at the northern tip of the island, which could accommodate 200 men.<ref name="USM in PB">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/us-military-in-palm-beach|title=U.S. Military in Palm Beach|publisher=Historical Society of Palm Beach|access-date=October 12, 2023|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405165658/https://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/us-military-in-palm-beach|archivedate=April 5, 2023}}</ref> The Palm Beach Civilian Defense Council ordered blackouts in Palm Beach beginning on April 11, 1942.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/local-response-blackout-restrictions|title=Local Response: Blackout Restrictions |publisher=Historical Society of Palm Beach County|access-date=October 12, 2023|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405094803/https://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/local-response-blackout-restrictions|archivedate=April 5, 2023}}</ref> Throughout the war, German U-boats sank 24 ships off Florida, with eight capsized off Palm Beach County between February and May 1942.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/the-enemy-presence-german-u-boats|title=The Enemy Presence: German U-Boats|publisher=Historical Society of Palm Beach County|access-date=October 12, 2023|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405221010/https://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/the-enemy-presence-german-u-boats|archivedate=April 5, 2023}}</ref> The Army converted The Breakers into the Ream General Army Hospital, while the [[United States Navy|Navy]] converted the Palm Beach Biltmore Hotel into a U.S. Naval Special Hospital. The Biltmore Hotel would also become a training school for [[SPARS]], the [[United States Coast Guard]] Women's Reserve.<ref name="USM in PB"/> On September 15, 1950, the Southern Boulevard Bridge opened,<ref name="timeline3" /> the third and southernmost bridge linking Palm Beach and West Palm Beach.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88611562/the-palm-beach-post/|title=Flagler Bridge: Sunday's breakdown caused by loose bolt|date=August 7, 2018 |first=Joe |last=Capozzi |newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|access-date=November 9, 2021|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Palm Beach residents elected Claude Dimick Reese (son of former mayor T.T. Reese and grandson of Dimick) as mayor in 1953. He became the only native-born mayor of Palm Beach in its history. In the 1950s, the town's population grew around 56%, from 3,866 in 1950 to 6,055 in 1960.<ref name="timeline3" /> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page