Deerfield Beach Historical Society

  The Beginning of Deerfield The Role of the Railroad Before it became Deerfield Beach, our town was simply called Deerfield. It was Henry Flagler’s railroad that brought the town of Deerfield into being in the 19th century.    Even before it was called Deerfield, this area was called Hillsborough. In 1898, C.E. Hunt, a Civil […]

Seminole Hunting Camp Sullivan Park Memorial During the Second Seminole Indian War, 1835-1861, there was a traditional Seminole hunting camp in the area that is now Sullivan Park in Deerfield Beach. On April 1, 1838, Lieutenant Robert Anderson took as prisoners Chief Tuskegee and 45 followers. This was the single largest capture of Indians in

The Hillsboro River Becomes a Canal Before the 1920’s there was a natural river that wound its way through what is now West Boca Raton and past what today is Sullivan Park. Early pioneers of Deerfield tell of swimming in the Hillsboro River and being able to look down and see the bottom of the

The Original Downtown Dixie Highway The original center of commerce in Deerfield was located on Dixie Highway near what today is Hillsboro Boulevard. In the early 1900’s Saxon General Merchandise provided staples , hardware, gifts and more. At that time it was no more than shell rock road approx 9’ wide. As it does now

Agriculture Early Economic Engine In the early days, Deerfield was an agricultural community. Our early settlers were mostly farmers who grew pineapples, tomatoes, green beans and squash   As the demand for crops to ship north increased the farmers began to move west to broaden their acreage.  Before long the farms moved as far west

Deerfield’s First Church First Zion Baptist In 1902 two Methodist leaders, Reverend Lawrence and Mrs. Knight, brought together members of Deerfield’s black community to worship. There were less that 40 blacks living here at the time and even fewer whites. They began to hold services in a hut build of palmettos located near where  the

Deerfield’s Second Church Humble Beginnings A small group from the local Deerfield farming community started a Baptist congregation in 1908. It wasn’t until 1913 that First Baptist Church of Deerfield was built behind the present day Kraeer Funeral Home. Among the charter members of the church were Jim and Alice Butler who also helped with the

Deerfield’s First Bridge Easy Access to the Beach Before 1917, the only way to cross over the Hillsboro River/Intracoastal Waterway to the beach was by boat or to swim. Deerfield’s original bridge was a revolving structure with a wooden  floor that was opened by a hand crank. The bridge could turn parallel to the shore

Deerfield’s First Telephone Technology Comes to Town Deerfield got its first telephone in 1914 and it reached all the way to Delray Beach. It was in 1915 that the first long distance line was put in across the country and technology had come to Deerfield. The original phone was wall mounted made of wood with

The Old School House Becomes City Hall The Old School House was completed in 1920. It is a two room masonry building that housed students from 1920 to 1926. At that point the student population outgrew the building and it was converted to City Hall and a community center. It was where the community gathered for