Lectures | The Historical Society of Palm Beach

Lecture Series

Distinguished Lecture Series

What: The Distinguished Lecture Series primarily features authors who speak on historical books or events aligned with our mission: sharing the history of Palm Beach County, Florida, and the Caribbean. Presentations are followed by a light reception, and book signing when appropriate. Authors’ books are available for sale in the Museum Gift Shop.

When: Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m.

Where: Historic Courtroom, 3rd floor, 1916 County Court House, 300 N. Dixie Highway, downtown West Palm Beach. Free parking is available on lecture nights starting at 6:00 p.m., in the lot accessible from 4th Street that is across from the fire station.

Cost: Free for HSPBC members | $20 for non-members

Reservations: Please call 561.832.4164 ext. 100.

2017-2018 Season

Presenting sponsor for the 2017 – 2018 lecture series:

November 8, 2017
Donn R. Colee Jr. — Florida Broadcasting
Donn Colee will speak on his book Towers in the Sand: The History of Florida Broadcasting, a social history of Florida from the 1920s land rush through the Great Depression, with devastating hurricanes, the post-WWII boom, local TV stars, rock ‘n’ roll, heroes and scalawags, deregulation, the Internet, and an uncertain future.

January 10, 2018
Peter Leo — The Jupiter Wreck
In 1987 Leo, an ocean lifeguard on his morning swim, discovered the Spanish vessel San Miguel de Archangel, which had foundered off Jupiter Inlet in 1659. Leo uncovered anchors, cannons, silver and gold bullion, and thousands of Spanish coins. He will display photos and artifacts, and relate how ownership was dragged through State and Federal courts.

February 13, 2018
Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs — Strange Fruit in the Sunshine State
For Black History Month, Hobbs presents her book Democracy Abroad, Lynching at Home: Racial Violence in Florida, where she uses primary sources and oral testimonies of African American witnesses and survivors to examine four lynchings and their place in the “lynching era” in the United States, 1882-1930.

March 14, 2018: Deborah C. Pollack – Bad Scarlett
Pollack discusses her latest book, a biography of Bad Scarlett: The Extraordinary Life of the Notorious Southern Beauty Marie Boozer (1846-1908), the true, redemptive story of a South Carolina belle who became a scandalous divorcée in New York and London, a Paris courtesan defying police authority, and a countess and world citizen – while her half-sisters raised families in pioneer Florida.

Apr. 11, 2018: Sandra Henderson Thurlow – The U.S. Life-Saving Service (wc 55)
Two of Thurlow’s several books focus on Florida’s ten houses of refuge, built by the U.S. Life-Saving Service, forerunner of the U.S. Coast Guard. One remains: Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge, now a museum managed by the Historical Society of Martin County. Thurlow will discuss her latest book, U.S. Life Saving Service—Florida’s East Coast.

Third Thursday @ 3 Lecture Series

What: Third Thursday @ 3 was initiated to provide a daytime option for those who want to learn more Palm Beach County history. Attendees are encouraged to visit the admission-free Johnson History Museum on the 2nd floor before or after the lectures.

When: 3:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month during the season

Reservations: Please call 561.832.4164 ext. 100.

2017-2018 Season:

January 18, 2018 Dorothy Block, M.A., on “Archaeology and History of a Watery World: the Northern Everglades”

February 15, 2018 Charlene Farrington, Director, Spady Cultural Heritage Museum

March 15, 2018 Jane S. Day, Ph.D. on “Extraordinary Architecture, Influential People: Historic Preservation in the Town of Palm Beach”

April 19, 2018 Tom Gregersen, Cultural Director, Morikami Museum, on “Yamato Colony: Pioneering Japanese in Florida”