History Geek Heaven

Lantana Public Library (lantanalibrary.org)

    Once upon a time, a little girl named Mary moved to Lantana, Florida. It was 1925. She grew up, became a teacher and then a librarian before "retiring" in 1976. But her idea of retirement did not involve shuffleboard and card games. She got involved with the Historical Society of Palm Beach County as it's first woman president.

     Mary also published two books on Florida history: "Early Lantana, Her Neighbors and More" in 1980 was followed by "Pioneer Days on the Shores of Lake Worth 1873-1893" which was co-authored with Marjorie Watts Nelson and published in 1994.  

     Mary still didn't totally retire, though. She kept involved and kept promoting local history until her death on July 19, 1998.

     And now, the photographs Mary Collar Linehan took as well as collected over her lifetime have been put together into a collection called the "Linehan Historic Lantana Photographs Collection." Even better, the collection is opening at the Lantana Public Library on October 3, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. I know this is late notice for the grand opening, but the collection will be on display for a while so if you don't make it there for the party on the 3rd, there's still plenty of time.

Myspace Photo

     Among some fascinating pictures of the area are some of the National Enquirer Christmas Tree. Area natives recall the first tree in 1971. It was 45 feet tall and became an attraction to the locals. As years went by, Generoso Pope, the owner of the National Enquirer, kept getting larger and larger trees. It was 1979 when he finally earned the "World's Largest Decorated Christmas Tree" designation in the Guiness World Book of Records when the tree was 117 feet. The last tree was installed and decorated in 1989. It was a 126 foot tall tree before it was cut down in Oregon for the Lantana display. By then, Pope was also decorating the grounds of the newspaper with Christmas displays. I remember walking through with my friends on a cool night. It helped make the season special and the snapshots in Ms. Linehan's collection bring back some wonderful memories.

     Mary Linehan's books and articles are well-researched, fascinating peeks at a world that no longer exists.  I found one book on e-bay (the bidding was over) and one on Amazon.com. The price? $69.00 and worth every penny in my opinion. Her pictures span the time from that world to the Palm Beach County that existed at her death. 

     The library is located at 205 West Ocean Avenue, Lantana, Florida. Phone is 561-540-5740.

     I'm looking forward to looking back. Heaven awaits! See you there?

Sabal Palms and Ice Cream

                On a little one way street in Lake Worth, nestled west of Snook Island and north of Lake Avenue, is an old house. The fact it’s old is not unique in Lake Worth, but this is definitely not an average old house.  According to the City of Lake Worth website, Sabal Palm Bed & Breakfast is one of only two bed and breakfast accommodations in the entire city.

Colleen Rinaldi

I had heard of Sabal Palm Bed & Breakfast over the past few years, but had never done more than glance at the bright red door as I drove past on my way over the bridge. In the convoluted, wonderful connections made possible by Facebook, I “met” Colleen Rinaldi, who, with her husband John, owns this living piece of Florida history.

This summer, I met Colleen in person and enjoyed a nice lunch and a tour of the house. Our company that day was Karen Bain, a fellow writer who loves this kind of stuff as much as I do. We learned the main house, consisting only of the two front rooms, was built in 1936 for the Behr family. In those days, the Behrs owned every child’s dream—an ice cream factory! Charmingly named “Three Behrs,” it was located across town by the FEC Railroad tracks.

The original house was designed by C.G. Williams, and is all cypress with oak floors. It was expanded over the years and now has three suites.  Amazingly, the home still has the original fireplaces and oak floors.  The garage, separated from the main house by a brick patio filled with tables and chairs for relaxing with morning coffee, now has four comfortable bedroom suites.

Sabal Palm has the feeling that bed and breakfast aficionados look for. Walking through that bright front door, I felt like I was visiting a favorite great-aunt’s house—complete with a friendly little furry friend!

Karen and I followed Colleen through the rooms, oohing and ahhing and snapping pictures as fast as our cell phones would let us. When we said our goodbyes, Colleen surprised us each with a little bag of cookies. Do I have to tell you the cookies were gone by the time I reached I-95 (a five minute or so drive)?

Anyone for Tea?

I asked Colleen her thoughts about the house and the history of the surrounding area. Colleen says that we all need to look at the past, look at our history, and respect it. I knew we had a something in common.  Since Sabal Palm Bed & Breakfast is a beautiful, warm slice of history I can visit today and includes cookies—you can count me in anytime! 

Now, if the Behr's still had that ice cream factory.....

Copyright (c) 2012 Ruth Hartman Berge

Pictures by Ruth Hartman Berge 2012

Disclaimer: Since my great-grandfather's home is now a bed and breakfast in Delray Beach, Florida, I have a special place in my heart for B&B's and would spend all of my vacation time in one if I possibly could. Can you tell?

Is There a Mini-Stonehenge in Lake Worth?

Driving east on Lake Avenue one day recently, I glanced to the south just before I got to the foot of the Lake Worth Bridge. I’ve passed Bryant Park more times than I could tell you, but this time I spotted something I’d never noticed. Tucked behind hibiscus bushes and underneath a large tree, were two large rough-hewn stones, one on top of the other.

          From the road, the stones looked like they could be a chimney from an old house, oddly preserved near the northern edge of the park.

           You know me by now. I turned the car around and stopped.

I walked through the park toward the stones. When I reached them, I was astounded to see they weren’t part of a chimney or just random stones, but a monument. A monument to Finnish War Veterans. Behind my right shoulder was yet another monument with sculpted flying geese soaring off of the top. That one recognized Finnish immigrants.

To the surprise of some, the Lake Worth/Lantana area is the world’s second-largest community of Finns outside of Finland. In an internet posting dated March 2004, June Pelo says, “Finnish is the fourth most widely-spoken minority language in the Lake Worth-Lantana area after Spanish, Creole and Russian” and that “it is possible to get just about any service one needs in Finnish. There are Finnish companies in virtually every sector, from hair salons to funeral homes.”

Harry Manner, Curator, points out one of the more
impressive medals at The Price of Freedom Museum

            I found the Finnish War Veterans in America and made arrangements to meet Harry Manner at the Finland House on Central Boulevard in Lantana to find out about this monument. We met on a Saturday in May at The Price of Freedom Museum located on the second floor. The little room was filled with Finnish and American military memorabilia. Manner is the curator.  He began collecting medals and uniforms, carved wooden knives, films, literature and documents decades ago. When he moved to Boynton Beach, Finns in the area helped pay to bring the collection south. According to Manner, the museum houses the largest collection of Finnish medals outside the country of Finland.

Harry Manner, Mirja Silvan and Hans Nyholm

            Also meeting with me were the Chairman of the group, Hans Nyholm, and the Secretary, Mirja Silvan.  All three are intensely proud of their countrymen who managed to hold off the Soviets in the Winter War in the 1940s. The Finns were severely outnumbered, but because of their skill at winter warfare, as well as excellent military leadership starting at the top with Field Marshal Baron C.G.E. Mannerheim and the determination, tenacity and bravery of the Finnish people, the Soviets did not succeed. The Finns simply refused to let the Soviets march in like they were attempting to do all over Europe.

            So, what does all of this have to do with two stones in Bryant Park? It seems in 1992, the Finns in this area decided it was time for a monument in the United States for their war veterans. You see, the Finns didn’t just stand up to the Soviets in their own country, but thousands of them emigrated and joined the armed services in other countries, including the United States and Canada. Their skills in winter warfare were unparalleled and Finnish training officers were highly sought to teach those skills to servicemen in other countries. Finns fought for the United States in Vietnam, too.

            By 1995, funds were finally raised to bring a stone over from Finland. The stone that now stands pointing up to the sky in Lake Worth was originally in a field outside of Salpa Linja. It was part of a defensive line of stones that ringed the town and kept Soviet tanks from wreaking havoc on Salpa Linja. Manning says most of the ring, and the tunnels that were part of the defensive system, are still there and they have become tourist destinations. 

            There are no tunnels near the stone in Bryant Park. But stop by sometime. Sit in the grass and think about what that stone represents–fierce pride, tremendous bravery in the face of incredible odds, and a generous, indomitable spirit that traveled across the sea to America with men who understood the price of freedom. Better yet, make a point of joining the Finns at their annual memorial service held on March 13 to mark the end of the Winter War in Finland and honor veterans.

As I was leaving the museum, I asked Manner what one thing he would like people to know about Finns. He said, “Finland is always willing to defend its freedom.”

            There’s more to this story than will fit in this column. The Finland House and the Price of Freedom Museum at 301 W. Central Boulevard in Lantana are open by appointment only during the summer, but have regular hours in the winter. Please feel free to contact me and I’ll put you in touch with Harry Manner. It’s a tour you’ll never forget.

Finland House

Copyright 2012 Ruth Hartman Berge

This article was first published by Seabreeze Publications, Inc. as the June, 2012 issue of The Florida You Don't Know.