PALM BEACH, Fla. — "A perfect day for a tour. It’s not too hot,” said Rick Rose a Palm Beach author and historian to his tour guests.
Rose uses a water fountain in the courtyards of Palm Beach as his podium., "We're gonna' get right into the tour and we're going to talk about the name Worth Avenue," Rose told his tour guest on Wednesday morning.
"A true history buff... A historian at heart," said Jorge Pesquera who is the CEO and President of Discover The Palm Beaches.
Every Wednesday, December through April, visitors and residents alike explore the posh Worth Ave on a walking tour.
On the tour, Rose shares his knowledge of the rich history of Palm Beaches and the Town of Palm Beach.
He likes to sprinkle in fun facts, "They didn't call the body of water what the Indians called it which was Hypoluxo... ...They simply named it after the commanding officer General William Jenkins Worth and so that's how we have the name Worth here. It's the same general for which Fort Worth Texas is also named."
The tour focuses on architecture, fashion titans, and industry.
About Lilly Pulitzer
"Lilly Pulitzer is one of those famous important Palm Beach stories, as you see opened a juice shop here on Worth Ave. And she asked her dress designer to design some clothing," Rose said. "When the juice splashed on the clothes you wouldn't see the stains."
"Uniforms that turned into fashion statements, "All the ladies wanted to have these dresses because she was good friends with some very prominent Palm Beachers. Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, who later became Jackie Kennedy. They were schoolmates," Rose informed the crowd. "That's what really shot Lilly Pulitzer into a superstar and we're still wearing them today."
"There's so many stories like that in Palm Beach where it just kind of happened organically. It wasn't planned," Rose said.
A New Edition
Rose turned his tour into a guidebook. "Palm Beach: The Essential Guide to America's Legendary Resort Town." This is the second edition.
"[I] give a simple historic sort of timeline and explanation on how Palm Beach came into being," said Rose, "I think that people who came here because of the weather, they don't realize that a lot of history was made here."
"He just gives a lot of himself for the benefit of the community and for that alone, we should be thankful," said Pesquera
The updated guide is available at Lilly Pulitzer on Palm Beach and will be sold on Amazon by Feb. 15.