Additional information
by Rosa Sophia Godshall-Holden (Author)
While North Palm Beach itself is relatively young--just about retirement age--the history of this area is as broad as the horizon. Long before this village was founded in 1956, the Jeaga tribe lived and thrived here. In 1883, perhaps with a mind to farm pineapples, two men began purchasing local plots, becoming the area's first landowners. From there, through fits and starts, this idyll of small-town life began to take shape. The population surged in 1956 when Pratt & Whitney built a facility west of town, making the village a destination for professionals and their families. Former village historian Rosa Sophia traces the long and fascinating history of North Palm Beach, touching on the little known and providing broader understanding of the people and events that nurtured the undeniable community atmosphere that exists today.
Author Biography
Rosa Sophia currently serves on the board for the Seminole Wars Foundation. She also volunteers with the Loxahatchee Battlefield Preservationists as the organization's archivist. From December 9, 2010, to March 27, 2014, Rosa served the Village of North Palm Beach as the official historian, maintaining and digitizing the archives with the focus of making the history of the village easily accessible for residents and researchers. Her essay on the history of the North Palm Beach Public Library, based on earlier research, was published in Overdue in Paradise: The Library History of Palm Beach County (Palmango Press, 2017). She is also the author of several novels, including Meet Me in the Garden (Limitless Publishing, 2015). She has worked for local libraries, including North Palm Beach Public Library and the Martin County Library System on the Treasure Coast, and is a member of the Society of Florida Archivists. Rosa lives in Jensen Beach, Florida, where she is a writer and managing editor for Mobile Electronics magazine, the nation's number one resource for the twelve-volt aftermarket car audio industry. She is pursuing an MFA in creative writing at Florida International University. www.backwordswriter.com
