| Museum Hunt |
| Explore Town Hall Museum with Johnny Brown, Addison Mizner's pet monkey! The museum hunt uses Johnny Brown's pictures with matching numbers as clues throughout Town Hall. Kids learn their own local history, examine the architecture, and discover the home of the town's first fire engine, Old Betsy. |  | |
| Museum Exhibits |
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Boomtime Boca: Boca Raton in the 1920s
October 1, 2007
 This exhibition entitled Boomtime Boca: Boca Raton in the 1920s is based on the new Arcadia Publication of the same name.
Boca Raton, Florida was a tiny farming community on the southeastern coast of Florida when the Florida real estate boom of the 1920s grew into a national phenomenon. Investors and new residents were drawn to the state from all over the country, a time Floridians will forever know as “The Boom.” In April 1925, well known Palm Beach society architect Addison Mizner revealed his plans for an ambitious new development at Boca Raton. The small town was to be “the world’s premier resort” and “the dream city of the western world.” Mizner’s projects stimulated other developments in the south county area like George Harvey’s “Villa Rica,” and Frank Croissant’s “Croissantania.” The little town blossomed as well. Incorporated in 1925, town fathers established police and fire services and commissioned a new town hall from Delray architect William Alsmeyer in 1927. The population of the town grew from one hundred to several hundred residents.
By the fall of 1926, however, the Boom was near its end. Negative press and a rail embargo preceded two of the most destructive hurricanes in Florida’s history, the 1926 and 1928 storms, both of which hit Boca Raton. New residents left South Florida in droves. The Boom was Bust.
In the fall of 1927, Mizner Development Corporation investor Clarence Geist acquired the company’s holdings. He immediately laid plans for the expansion of the Cloister Inn, hiring famed New York architects Schultze and Weaver to more than double the size of the original hostelry. The new Boca Raton Club opened in 1930. Boca Raton returned, for the most part, to its small-town agricultural heritage by the end of the decade. With the outstanding exceptions of the Boca Raton Club and other boom-era construction, there were few signs of the glamorous resort community once envisioned by the great Addison Mizner.
Boomtime Boca will feature artifacts, artwork, and photographs from this glamorous and exciting era in our community’s past.
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| Scout Tours |
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History Patch for Boy Scouts The Boca Express Train Museum is the location of this historic site visit. The 1930 FEC Train Depot and its two 1947 streamliner cars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Boca Express Train Museum is also home to a 1940s Baldwin Steam Locomotive and Seaboard Caboose. Scouts will discover their connection of their own local history with mid-twentieth century train travel as well as the importance of historic preservation. Minimum: 7
Leaders/Chaperones: 1 per 5 scouts
Time Length: 45 minutes
Offered: Friday afternoons
Cost: $ 2.00 per scout / $5.00 per adult over 1 per 5 scout ratio Local Lore Badge for Girl Scouts Boca Raton’s 1927 Old Town Hall is the center of this historic adventure. Exploration of this National Registered landmark as well as the Historical Society’s exhibits and collections will complete several of the local lore activities. The unique experience will also demonstrate how today’s technology is helping to preserve the past. Minimum: 7
Leaders/Chaperones: 1 per 5 scouts
Time Length: 1 and ½ hours
Offered: Weekday afternoons
Cost: $ 3.00 per scout
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Boca Express Train Museum
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 A great experience for the whole family! The Boca Express Train Museum is home to the Boca Raton 1930 FEC train depot, two 1947 Seaboard Air Line streamliner rail cars, a Baldwin steam locative, and a Seaboard red caboose. A guided tour of the streamliner rail cars provide a notalgic look back to the glamorous days of train travel for parents and grandparents and introduce children to the excitement of train travel. A must for train lovers! For more information visit Boca Express Train Museum under Tours.
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| Family Day |
 Family Day is an annual event the Boca Raton Historical Society holds to engage Boca Raton and its surrounding neighbors in local history and community-building activities. Family Day is held at Town Hall or at the Boca Raton Historical Society’s Boca Express Train Museum. It is a day of fun-filled activities and tours for children of all ages. Local businesses, state agencies, and other non-profit organizations often participate and provide several of the educational and interactive presentations for children and their parents along with the Historical Society. For the latest information on this year’s Family Day, visit our Family Day page under Events.
For more information or bookings on any of these activities or events, contact: |
Director of Education
Boca Raton Historical Society
71 North Federal Highway
Boca Raton, Florida 33432
561-395-6766 x 107 or education@bocahistory.org
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