09/07/2026
Today, we’d like to honor the construction workers and hotel staff members of the Flagler era. While Henry Flagler undoubtedly ranks as one of the most important figures in South Florida’s history, Palm Beach County wouldn’t have become what it is today without the extensive labor that went into both building and maintaining his luxurious resorts.
The Royal Poinciana was the first of Flagler’s Palm Beach hotels. Railroad engineers extended the Florida East Coast Railway, allowing workers and construction materials to reach Palm Beach, and construction on the hotel began in 1893. Within a year, a crew of one thousand men brought Flagler’s dream to life. Before West Palm Beach was incorporated, white laborers lived in makeshift tents on what is now Seaview Avenue and in areas along the Lake Trail, while Black workmen were segregated in a Palm Beach neighborhood known as “the Styx.” In 1894, West Palm Beach was incorporated to accommodate the extensive labor force needed to build and staff Flagler’s hotels. The Styx remained home to many Black laborers who worked in the hotels until the community was dissolved in 1912.
At its peak, 1,400 employees operated the Royal Poinciana, which could accommodate nearly 2,000 guests, demanding a large team of porters, bellhops, maids, and cooks. There were also employees who ran an on-site bakery, ice cream shop, post office, incinerator, and electric power plant. Meanwhile, Black wheelchairmen transported guests around the resort and throughout Palm Beach in wicker wheelchairs, providing a distinctive form of transportation during the Flagler era.
These workers were foundational to the development of both Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. They toiled to make Flagler’s vision a reality, and in doing so, brought new life, meaning, character, and purpose to Palm Beach County.
As we recognize the generations of workers whose labor helped shape our community, the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum will be closed on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.
