Lake Worth in Palm Beach County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Palm Beach Junior College

Florida's First Public Junior College

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, August 3, 2016

1. Palm Beach Junior College Marker

Inscription. The earliest junior colleges in Florida were established under private auspices, beginning in 1907 with Palmer College at DeFuniak Springs. The first public junior college was instituted by the Palm Beach County school board during the Depression years to make college opportunities available to those local high school graduates unable to meet the expenses of attending school away from home. Palm Beach Junior College admitted its first students in 1933. Its first goal was to provide two years of acceptable college work. Soon it also offered career or vocational education for persons desiring to work after graduation and adult education programs. In 1939, state legislation provided legal status for the junior college program by authorizing county school boards to organize and maintain such institutions using county school funds. In 1947, Palm Beach Junior College began to receive state assistance under new legislation. Beginning in the 1950’s the junior college program in Florida began to expand, aided by the long-term plans of the Community College council created in 1955. The educational goals of Palm Beach Junior College

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served as a model for Florida’s developing community college program.

Erected 1976 by Palm Beach Junior College in cooperation with Department of State. (Marker Number F-248.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.

Location. 26° 36.731′ N, 80° 5.187′ W. Marker is in Lake Worth, Florida, in Palm Beach County. It can be reached from South Congress Avenue north of 6th Avenue South, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in front of the administration building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4200 Congress Avenue, Lake Worth FL 33461, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

on the Treasure Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

Palm Beach Junior College Marker and administration building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, August 3, 2016

2. Palm Beach Junior College Marker and administration building

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pine Crest Municipal Cemetery (approx. 1.4 miles away); Coastal Patrol Base No. 3 (approx. 1.7 miles away); I. A. Banks Memorial Park (approx. 2 miles away); First Schoolhouse (approx. 2.1 miles away); James Homestead and First Jewell Post Office (approx. 2.3 miles away); Evergreen Cemetery (approx. 2½ miles away); Chapel Of The Holy Spirit (approx. 3.2 miles away); 1885-1893 (approx. 3.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lake Worth.

Another marker is no longer nearby. First Town Hall (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 810 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 8, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.