History Continued

Rumors flew that West Palm Beach would annex the community into its limits. And homeowners were unhappy about their sandy roads, Pine Tree Lane and Venetian Way. So about 60 people united to form the Lake Clarke Property Owners Association in the fall of 1955. The group soon outgrew meeting at the Neiswander's home and continued at Meadow Park School and talked turned to forming a town.

Owners of dry property opposed the names Lake Clarke Isles or Lake Clarke Shores. And some suggested it would be confused with Lake Park. But votes for the "Town of :Lake Clarke Shores" won Out. On April 10, 1956, the community met at the school and more than two-thirds of the 150 registered voters said "yes" to officially forming a town. The legislature approved it the following year. Then the real work began: At first, people just volunteered to fill the necessary offices. William McLaughlin became the first mayor. Together with the councilmen they made ordinances, wrote building codes and made money collection procedures. The first ordinance they passed was the speed limit: 25 miles per hour.

To raise money, residents voluntarily donated $15 per house, and citizens organized all sorts of fundraising clubs: Pinochle, bridge, garden and women's groups who sold Tupperware, rummage sales and held dinners. Two of those original clubs, Sandpiper Garden Club, which disbanded in the late 90's, and the Lake Clarke Shores Garden Club, had long endured. Sandpiper Garden Club established the butterfly garden. In fact, the LCS Garden Club still donates benches and landscaping, continuously beautifying the town.

Everybody's favorite function was the Town barbecue. Most were held on a vacant lot at the southwest corner of Forest Hill and West Lake Drive. Then the loose-knit association of friends worked to start a newspaper in 1956, and to get mail delivered to street addresses in 1957, and by 1958, with the opening of Forest Hill High School, the town became a prestigious place to live. Mrs. Lake Lytal's friends no longer teased her about living in the "boondocks."

By 1960, the population was 1,297 and with the growth came conflicts. The first was zoning. Originally it was all zoned residential, but years of lawsuits, urban planning experts and finally, a wider, four-lane Forest Hill, changed that. In 1964, they approved some limited commercial and multi-family units along Forest Hill. In 1967, the first commercial venture opened a gas station at the corner of Florida Mango and Forest Hill.

 Return to Top