Florida Archives and Manuscripts Repositories

To preserve, exhibit, and provide educational programs about the history, cultural heritage, geology and geography, ecology and economy of the geographical region of Florida that centers around the southeastern shores of Lake Okeechobee, especially the western section of Palm Beach County. Explores the “total multifaceted Glades experience.” that is part of that vast River of Grass that sustains the Everglades.

Formerly the Belle Glade Historical Society.

Collects materials documenting the history, economic development, culture and lives of the people of Boca Raton and South Florida. Includes city public records, architectural drawings, maps, oral histories, artifacts and memorabilia, periodicals, photographs. Collections include the 200 manuscripts, 150 scrapbooks and 600 reference books.

This institutional archives and academic special collections houses several unique collections of artists' books, sound recordings, print music, rare books and manuscripts, Judaica, the Civil War, the history and development of Palm Beach, South Florida and the FAU archives. Notable for Florida author Theodore Pratt's personal and business papers, and copies of first and foreign editions of his works. The Jaffe Center for the Book Arts has grown to include over 12,000 titles and is one of the largest and most varied of its kind in the United States.

Gathers, preserves, and organizes materials constituting the historical record of Lynn University. It is the official depository for records that are of administrative value or historical significance.

Houses an historical archive collection with material pertaining to the history of Boynton Beach and surrounding South Florida towns. The collection includes Boynton Beach newspapers, maps, documents, scrapbooks, journals, postcards, photographs, news clippings and oral histories of pioneers families.

Serves the mission of the seminary, its collection is mainly comprised of works in philosophy. Because of the bilingual and multicultural nature of the seminary, the library collection includes many titles in Spanish. Moreover, because of the Seminary’s unique geographical and cultural setting, the library also includes many Latin American resources. The philosophy collection exceeds three thousand volumes, mostly in English and Spanish, with supplementary materials in French, German and Latin.

Rare Books room, An institutional archives that contains the official memoranda of Seminary Rectors and board members, curricula from past and present faculty, student theses, video tapes of official functions plus photographs of Seminary events. Also has a small museum function.

The Society houses and archives a comprehensive history of Delray Beach and its people on behalf of the City and resides in downtown Delray on a campus made up of rescued and restored historic buildings, complete with a Florida Native Plant Garden. The Archive Collection features over 20,000 items, including photographs, real estate documents, architectural renderings, original charters, City of Delray Beach records, books, memorabilia, letters, newspapers, paintings, original drawings, rare artifacts, pioneer and family histories – both oral and video, clothing, and other three dimensional artifacts.

Since opening in 1977, Morikami has been a center for Japanese arts and culture in South Florida. With rotating exhibitions, tea ceremonies performed monthly (October through May) in the Seishin-an tea house, educational outreach programs with local schools and organizations, and Japanese traditional festivals celebrated for the public several times a year, Morikami strives to spread appreciation for the living culture of Japan.

The original building, named the Yamato-kan, is modeled after a Japanese villa. It features a ring of exhibition rooms surrounding an open-air courtyard with a dry garden of gravel, pebbles and small boulders. The Yamato-kan offers a permanent exhibit chronicling the history of the Yamato Colony, a Japanese farming community in South Florida 100 years ago.

The principal museum building opened in 1993 to meet popular demand for more programming, more versatile facilities, and to satisfy the needs of a growing community. The museum’s architecture is inspired by traditional Japanese design. The building features three exhibition galleries, a 225-seat theater, an authentic tea house with viewing gallery, classrooms, a museum store, the Cornell Café and lakeside terraces for a panoramic view while dining.

The Morikami Collections house more than 7,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts, including a 500-piece collection of tea ceremony items, more than 200 textile pieces and fine art acquisitions.

Museum is dedicated to discovering, collecting and sharing the African-American history and heritage of Palm Beach County by highlighing the talents and influences of African-Americans, Caribbean-Americans and Haitian-Americans Located in the former home of the late Solomon D. Spady, the most prominent African American educator and community leader in Delray Beach from 1922 to 1957.Shows ranging from handmade quilts to photographs from the Civil Rights movement have adorned the Spady Museum. In addition, through its Kids Cultural Club, Trolley Tours, special events, annual Living Heritage Day and guest lecture series.

Facilities include the restored 1860 Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Oil House, the restored 1920 Keeper's Workshop, the restored WWII Naval Housing building (now the Museum), and the restored 1892 George Washington Tindall House. The collection contains photographs, maps, archival items and artifacts about the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and the DuBois Pioneer Home and the history of the northern section of Palm Beach County along the Loxahatchee River.

Documents the political, social, economic and cultural history of the town through private documents, business records, letters, news clippings, photographs, and other materials that complement official town records. Notable are the biographies of elected town officials (And Town issues of their times) Town records list 22 Mayors and almost 100 Commissioners/Councilors since 1925. Elected officials in the past were often early pioneers, and names include Sims, DuBois, Gladwin, Bassett, and Tomasello. The elected officials often owned or managed businesses in Town ranging from retail to agriculture.

This collections primarily documents the city but holds materials about the county and Florida subjects including over 6000 photographs, personal papers and histories, scrapbooks and oral histories. Textile displays show visitors how the pioneers dressed and “modern conveniences” such as the ice box and the wringer washer reveal how they worked. Exhibits range from the very large - such as the switchboard from a hotel - to the much smaller - a collection of cameras and medical instruments. Display cases maintained by local Polish, Finnish and Lithuanian groups are highlights of the heritage exhibits.

Includes historical documents (e.g. Monday Report, Perspectives, Self studies, District Board of Trustees' minutes), photographs, newspaper clippings, memorabilia, and Watson B. Duncan resources. The collections digital archive has copies of the student newspaper, College catalogs, yearbooks.Also contains documents from Roosevelt Junior College, Palm Beach County’s first institution of higher education for African-Americans, 1958-1965. Bulletins, catalogs, commencement programs, yearbooks, student newspaper, oral interviews with students, staff and faculty, memorabilia and the Roosevelt Junior College online Oral History Project.

Collected papers of Henry Morrison Flagler documenting land development in Florida including railroad expansion, tourist development and farming as well as photographs, plans and drawings.

As this repository is not currently open to the public, please inquire by email.

Architectural drawings of Marion Sims Wyeth (1889-1982), Belford W. Shoumate (1903-1991), and Henry K. Harding (1904-1984), architects who were instrumental in developing the town of Palm Beach; photographs and maps of the built environment; and site files on historic houses. Library houses a non-circulating reference collection of books, periodicals, and miscellaneous subject files, such as the House Files, that pertain to architecture in general, Florida architecture, historic preservation, horticulture and gardening, ethnobotony, landscape architecture, urban planning, and Palm Beach/Florida History.

Our Addison Mizner Collection consists of his 25 personal scrapbooks which include his thoughts, travels, and inspirations, and are organized by subject matter. We are also the holding place of his personal working library which consists of over 200 volumes mainly on topics of on Spanish and Spanish Colonial architecture. In addition to this, as an arts organization we have one of the finest and rarest of collections of Fine Art books in the Southeast. The collection is nearly 6000 volumes covering all kinds of art from all over the world on all various forms of criticism. We also have a rarebook room consisting of the design prints from renowned Palm Beach interior designer Polly Jessup.

A well organized archives containing letters, deeds, maps, historic county records, photographs of events in Palm Beach County including materials by Addison Mizner, architect and developer. Also documents south Florida and Florida history. With over one million photographs, hundreds of postcards, architectural drawings, manuscripts, diaries, and maps available for study, the Historical Society is a valuable source of primary and secondary sources for anyone interested in Palm Beach County’s history.

Documents the cultural and intellectual history of the PBAU and maintains a collection of alumni and faculty papers, university publications, photographs, and memorabilia. Kenneth Faye Dance Photography Collection of 488 photographs and the original artwork of Florida artist James Mallory Willson III, as well as the being a repository of the papers of U.S. Senator George LeMieux.

In 1979 the Audubon Society of the Everglades (ASE) donated funds to establish an ongoing comprehensive ornithological collection. Included are books on bird-watching, field guides to the birds from all regions of the globe, with special focus on North and South American regions. Also features books about individual species of birds and about the science of ornithology. Several important multi-volume, birds-of-the-world encyclopedias are included. There is also a collection of books and professional journals about library science and information studies and an extensive business resource center.