Tickets in hand, hundreds of people lined up for free entry into a historic Palm Beach mansion known as a pillar of art and architecture of the Gilded Age.
The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum opened its doors June 5 for Founder’s Day, an annual event where admission is offered, gratis, to members of the community in honor of the woman who led the museum’s creation, and the industrialist for whom the museum is named.
This year brought a new system where people registered in advance for one of three two-hour slots, during which 500 people would be admitted. The new timed-entry ticketing system enhanced the experience for visitors to allow them to enjoy the museum in a “comfortable setting without overcrowding,” museum spokesperson David Carson said.
Visitors explored the mansion and grounds that make up the National Historic Landmark’s estate on 1 Whitehall Way, situated along the Intracoastal and with groves of towering palm trees.
The Flagler Museum plays host to Founder’s Day each June 5 to celebrate the day 67 years ago that the institution was founded by Flagler’s granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews. The Flagler Museum opened to the public for the first time on Feb. 6, 1960.
The Whitehall estate was completed in 1902 by Standard Oil founder Henry Flagler, who established the property as a Gilded Age palace for his third wife, Mary Kenan Lily Flagler.
After Henry Flagler died in 1913 and his wife died four years later, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler’s niece sold the property to developers who transformed it into a hotel. It reopened in 1925 with an 11-story, 250-room tower added onto the mansion’s west side. That tower was later demolished.
More than 30 years later, Henry Flagler’s granddaughter Jean Flagler Matthews heard that the historic mansion faced the wrecking ball. State records show that Matthews established the nonprofit to save Whitehall as a museum on June 5, 1959.
Museum admission is $28 for adults and $14 for children ages 6 to 12. For more information, go to FlaglerMuseum.org.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Visitors step inside Flagler Museum for free on annual Founder’s Day
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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By Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News | USA TODAY Network
