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Exhibits

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Surfing Florida

A Photographic History

June 24 - October 31

Surfing Florida: A Photographic History explores Palm Beach County’s surf culture through photographs, historic boards, and firsthand accounts. In a place known for inconsistent waves, surfers developed a determined, adaptive approach that helped shape a legacy of innovation, competitive success, and a lasting presence within Florida’s broader surfing history.

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Permanent Exhibits

People and Places Gallery

This gallery tells the story of Palm Beach County’s development, highlighting the transformation of its landscapes, the advancement of communication and transportation, and the growth of its diverse communities.
 
 
Stories of Rescue-hall sign

Stories of Rescue

This exhibition supports the School District of Palm Beach County’s Holocaust education aims while serving as a resource for the wider community, offering historical context, personal testimony, and interactive materials that encourage empathy and critical thinking.
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Past Exhibitions

Wish You Were Here: Tourism in Palm Beaches
Wish You Were Here: Tourism in Palm Beaches
Endless Summer: Palm Beach Resort Wear
Endless Summer: Palm Beach Resort Wear
Shipwreck: Discovering Lost Treasures
Shipwreck: Discovering Lost Treasures
Becoming West Palm Beach Celebrating 125 Years
Becoming Palm Beach: Celebrating 125 Years
In addition to its permanent People and Places Gallery, the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum presents temporary exhibits on a wide variety of topics to appeal to a diverse audience year-round.  
 
An in-depth Grand Exhibition runs each fall to spring. Short-term exhibits, on loan or created in-house, rotate year-round in the Courtroom Gallery on the 3rd floor of the 1916 Courthouse. 
 
Click the button below to see various temporary exhibits:
Experience Past Exhibits

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Photographs
Archives
Objects
Library
Women of Conchtown making hats and shell flowers. Photograph by Charles Foster in 1939 as part of the Federal Writers Project and the Federal Art Project. Foster Collection.
Women of Conchtown making hats and shell flowers. Photograph by Charles Foster in 1939 as part of the Federal Writers Project and the Federal Art Project. Foster Collection.
Quicksilver Messenger Service concert flier held at the West Palm Beach Auditorium, ca. 1970s. Anonymous collection.
Quicksilver Messenger Service concert flier held at the West Palm Beach Auditorium, ca. 1970s. Anonymous collection.
Laura "Dolly" Hylan O'Brien and Clark Gable on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, 1937. Morgan Collection.
Laura "Dolly" Hylan O'Brien and Clark Gable on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, 1937. Morgan Collection.
Matchbooks: One (1) 2"x2" from La Coquille Club, one (1) 2"x2" from The Colony Hotel on Palm Beach, one (1) 2"x2" from Taboo' Restaurant, one (1) 2"x2" La Caravella restaurant, two (2) 2"x2" from Atlantis Match Co. Chicago, one (1) 2"x2" from the Met Club on Tequesta, one (1) 2"x2" from the City of Palm Beach, one (1) 2"x2" from Bentley's restaurant on north Palm Beach, and one (1) 1.5"x2" from The Bath & Tennis Club on Palm Beach.
Matchbooks: One (1) 2"x2" from La Coquille Club, one (1) 2"x2" from The Colony Hotel on Palm Beach, one (1) 2"x2" from Taboo' Restaurant, one (1) 2"x2" La Caravella restaurant, two (2) 2"x2" from Atlantis Match Co. Chicago, one (1) 2"x2" from the Met Club on Tequesta, one (1) 2"x2" from the City of Palm Beach, one (1) 2"x2" from Bentley's restaurant on north Palm Beach, and one (1) 1.5"x2" from The Bath & Tennis Club on Palm Beach.
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