In 1885, making preparations for the Florida East Coast Railway intended to connect the entire east coast of Florida, Henry Flagler purchased hundreds of acres of land where the City of Delray Beach now sits. Prior to this time, occupants included Native Americans (Seminoles), Spaniards, and Africans, with European and Japanese settlers slowly joining the melting pot. In 1894, Michigan Congressman William S. Linton joined the party, buying tracts of land from Flagler’s Model Land Company with his buddies David Swinton and Major Nathan Boynton and a handful of others, including a handful E. Burslem Thompson, a civil engineer. The town was named Linton then, and the first school was established. Flagler’s railway is completed in 1896 connecting the town of Linton to the entire east coast of Florida. In 1898 the town of Linton changed to Delray, inspired by a neighborhood in SW Detroit, Michigan. In 1902 the Ladies Improvement Association is created, assisting the city’s development, including implementation and construction of the Delray Beach Public Library, cemetery, Atlantic Avenue, and the town hall. The dynamic cultural diversity shown in modern Delray continues to grow and in 1904, Jo Sakai heads a group of Japanese settlers who find home in Southern Delray/northern Boca Raton. This agricultural colony was named “Yamato” – a revered name in Japan. The Colony later attracts George Morikami, whose namesake and donation of over 200 acres of land makes the beautiful Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens still attracting people from all over the world today.
1905, a cooperative of local farmers start canning seasonal crops like tomatoes and pineapples, at which point Delray starts to see a bit of national attention. In 1911, the city became incorporated as the “Town of Delray” and the first bridge was built over the Intracoastal. That same year the first newspaper, the “Delray Progress” was created by Mrs. James M. Cromer and Mrs. T Allen Tasker, and a theater called the Bijou was constructed for silent film viewing. This steady development contributes to the entire area uniting under “The City of Delray Beach” in 1927. By 1964, the Delray Historical Society is created with a mission “to collect, preserve and share materials from Delray Beach’s past, so that present and future generations can comprehend more fully their predecessors, their communities, and themselves. The society encourages and assists people of all backgrounds and interests to learn more about Delray Beach’s diverse history” according to their website.
In 1985 the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA, is created and the Cason Cottage Museum opens in 1989. By the 1990s, the National Historic District Old School Square is revamped, home to the Cornell Art Museum, Crest Theatre, Pavilion, Creative Arts School, and Fieldhouse offering residents a plethora of fun, diverse, interesting things to do. Additionally, by 2017, the city is the first in the state to win the All-America City award three different times, honoring excellence in youth literacy and education.
