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| Provendencia by Eldred Clark Johnson Florida State Archives/Florida Memory |
Palm Beach might not be the place it is today without its coconut palms. Some say it was the palms that attracted Henry M. Flagler, the Florida East Coast Railway builder, to the island.
In January 9, 1878 (or 1876, depending on the account) the Spanish ship Providencia, en route from Havana to Spain with a cargo of about 20,000 coconuts, wrecked off the Florida coast. The crew and its cargo washed ashore near today’s historic Mar-a-Lago.
A few residents looking forward to salvaging what they could of the cargo (as many Floridians did to make a living) trekked to the beach where they encountered the crew with coconuts, wine and provisions aplenty. Another ship came to the sailors’ rescue but not before they sold the coconuts to the Floridians who knew could they generate a cash crop with them.
Providencia Park sits in West Palm Beach today, in commemoration of the ship, its coconuts, once "one of the city's "chief assets" and their contribution to the Palm Beach area landscape. Species of palm trees come and go with disease and time but they’ve become an iconic symbol of Florida and its tropical lifestyle.
A few residents looking forward to salvaging what they could of the cargo (as many Floridians did to make a living) trekked to the beach where they encountered the crew with coconuts, wine and provisions aplenty. Another ship came to the sailors’ rescue but not before they sold the coconuts to the Floridians who knew could they generate a cash crop with them.
Providencia Park sits in West Palm Beach today, in commemoration of the ship, its coconuts, once "one of the city's "chief assets" and their contribution to the Palm Beach area landscape. Species of palm trees come and go with disease and time but they’ve become an iconic symbol of Florida and its tropical lifestyle.
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| Palm Trees Postcard 1913 Florida State Archives/Florida Memory |
All rights reserved. ©Copyright 2011 Jane Feehan.
Sources:
Sources:
Palm Beach Post Jan. 10, 1938
Historical Society of Palm Beach County
Flagler Museum
Flagler Museum
Tags: Palm Beach history, Florida palm trees, Mar-a-Lago