First Settlers along the waterfront
1885 - Fannie and Samuel James claimed the first homestead and built their home near the south end of what is now Bryant Park.
1889 to 1903 - Fannie James established the first post office and named the small rural community it served Jewell.
1910 to 1912 - Fannie James sells her remaining land to the Palm Beach Farms Company, and the community is renamed Lake Worth.
Community of Jewell Mural Celebrates Lake Worth Beach's Diverse Ethnic and Racial Heritage
A Cooperative Project - Historical Society of Lake Worth; Community Foundation for PB & MC; city of Lake Worth Beach; Neighborhood Volunteers; F. Kirk Stetson Architect; Lake Worth Kiwanis
Created by Tracy Rosof-Petersen Inspired by Pioneers of Jewell written by Ted Brownstein
Historical information shared by Ted Brownstein and Steve Lockwood, Historical Society of Lake Worth
Bryant Park and Lake Worth Milestones
1912 - The original Lake Worth City Plan included a lakefront park, platted by the private developer, The Palm Beach Farms Company.
1914 - The expansion to the north, south and east, of the lakefront park, was proposed by the city’s first engineer, G. Sherman Childs. Childs later went on to design the Lakeside Castle, the Birthday Cake House, and City Hall.
1919-20 - The expansion of Bryant Park, then referred to as the "R Street Park," was completed. Along with the new City Dock and the first bridge across the Lake, now known as the Intracoastal Waterway.
1922-25 - Construction of the Casino Building, Lake Worth High School, Gulfstream Hotel, LW Municipal Golf Course, Oakley Theater-now LW Playhouse.
1936-37 - The band shell was moved to Bryant Park and hosted regular concerts and events throughout the 30s and 40s. The park was named after "Harold J. Bryant Park," the president of the real-estate arm of the Palm Beach Farms Company.
1940s - Seawall and Dock improvements, Construction of the current Library, Post office buildings, and Osborne Colored School. The Casino was reconstructed after the 1947 Hurricane destruction.
1954 - Lake Worth Pier opens.
1969 - Closing of Osborne Colored School marks end of school segregation.
1982 - Lake Worth Museum established.
1994 - Wall of Unity Murals transform a 1954 wall that created a border between residents of the "Osborne Colored Addition" and their white neighbors in the Whispering Palms community.
1995 - The First Street Painting Festival is held and continues today.