Flagler Museum Palm Beach 

Henry Flagler was instrumental in the development of Florida 
involved. He was the son of a Presbyterian clergyman from New 
York and with D. Rockefeller and S. Andrews he was co-founder of 
Standard Oil the company which made the current development in the area for Tourism possible.

Due to the fragile health of his 1st wife Henry Flagler spent the winter months of 1878 in Jacksonville and discovered his love for Florida. Even after the death of his beloved wife Flagler came during the winter in the south. He and his 2^nd wife loved Florida for its value as a vacation destination but they found that the standard of the hotels and the traffic was not acceptable for this area and so Flagler began to develop his own future vision for Florida.

1885 he returned to St. Augustine and began the construction of 
his first hotel "Ponce de Leon”. To lead his hotel project to a success the construction and development of a transportation network was necessary. For Flagler this meant that he had to construct a railway on the east coast of Florida from Jacksonville to to Key West. Along this route Flagler built his 
hotels and contributed so decisively to the tourism development of the state. His vision was to complete the railway on the east coast to the endpoint Key West and he performed this target till 1912.

1902 Flagler built his house "Whitehall" in Palm Beach. It was 
a wedding gift to his 3rd wife Mrs. Mary Lily Kenan Flagler. 
She had only asked for a small house on a river in Florida and got this house consisting of 2 levels.

On the ground floor are the social and economic areas. In this space the public life took place. There were receptions and ceremonies organized by Mrs. Flagler and they were famous in this region.

The rooms - library, music room, billiard room, ballroom, 
breakfast and dining room, lounge and large hall - are built around the courtyard where a fountain and plants invite for rest.

On the 2nd Floor are the bedrooms of the residents and the 
servants. In addition to the main bedroom of the owner there are still several bedrooms and residence rooms. Some of these rooms are reserved for exhibitions and Conferences. 

When Whitehall was built in 1902 it was equipped with the latest technical 
achievements. There was electric light, telephone and modern sanitary facilities like toilets with water rinse.

For the restoration and maintenance of Whitehall it is of a special interest that the shown pieces are originals from the Flagler Family or the Golden Ages. The museum tries to get remaining pieces of furniture from private citizens or buy them back on auctions. Damaged carpets and wall hangings are reproduced with the help from old pictures or newspaper articles. 

After the house tour the visit of the Kenan Flagler Pavilion is necessarily recommended. There is Henry Flager’s private railway car display. He arrived with this wagon in Key West in 1912. This wagon includes a complete 
bedroom and living room, a separate kitchen and sleeping facilities for 
the staff. 

After the tour of the house and the garden a short break in the café in the pavilion is certainly welcome. Memorabilia of your visit and postcards are available in the Gift Shop across the Pavilion.

The museum is handicapped accessible and open on 6 days a week: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 12pm-5pm , 
Closed on Mondays.

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