In September 1928, when great storms were still unnamed, nearly 700 black men, women, and children were buried in an unmarked West Palm Beach ditch following the nation's second-deadliest hurricane. The savage gusts that churned the waters of Lake Okeechobee into a maelstrom of death afflicted victims of all races and classes, and produced tales of survival and loss among whites and blacks alike. The vast majority of the post-storm workers were poor black migrants; even if the hurricane was color-blind, the recovery and rebuilding effort were not. Palm Beach Post hurricane reporter and Florida native Eliot Kleinberg has penned the gripping tale of the killer hurricane. The storm's journey is chronicled as it kills perhaps 7,000 people along its path from the Caribbean to Canada, including a low official tally of 1,836 in Florida alone. Detailing the storm's track, the failure to properly predict landfall, personal battles against nature's wrath, and the extraordinary suffering of a black citizenry forced to provide a disproportionate amount of rebuilding labor and endure the burial of friends and family in an unmarked pit, Kleinberg tells a powerful story of man versus nature and man versus man.

Black Cloud: The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928

History

Kleinberg, Eliot

Americas

Basic Books

The great hurricane of 1928 claimed 2,500 lives, and the long-forgotten story of the casualties, as told in Black Cloud, continues to stir passion. Among the dead were 700 black Floridians—men, women, and children who were buried in an unmarked West Palm Beach ditch during a racist recovery and rebuilding effort that conscripted the labor of blacks as latter-day slaves. Palm Beach Post reporter Eliot Kleinberg has penned the gripping and tragic tale of 1928's killer hurricane from dozens of interviews with survivors, diary entries, accounts from newspapers, government documents, and reports from the National Weather Service and the Red Cross. Immortalized in Zora Neale Hurston's classic Their Eyes Were Watching God, thousands of poor blacks had nowhere to run when the waters of Lake Okeechobee rose. No one spoke for them, no one stood up for them, and no one could save them. With historical photographs and heroic tales of survival and loss, this book finally gives the dead the dignity they deserve.

Black Cloud: The Great Hurricane of 1928

When Henry Flagler came to the Lake Worth region in 1893, he called is "a veritable paradise." And then he had a vision: He would turn Palm Beach into the most highfalutin resort in the world. And he would build a commercial city across the lake "for my help." That city was West Palm Beach. What began as Flagler's servants' quarters soon became a bustling frontier town, as wild as any in the Wild West. And it attracted people every bit as colorful as the Vanderbilts and Astors who visited Flagler's grand hotels in Palm Beach. In its 100 fascinating years, West Palm Beach has survived a boom, a bust, a hurricane that killed 2,000, a war right off its shore, another boom, and a recession. Now it faces perhaps the greatest challenge of all, the revitalization of downtown. Pioneers in Paradise captures the frontier spirit of the people who turned swamp into a city - and the natural beauty that lured them here.

Pioneers in Paradise: West Palm Beach - the First 100 Years

Tuckwood, Jan

LYONS PRESS+

Known for its year-round warmth, beautiful beaches and famous residents, Palm Beach County is one of the most well-known areas along Florida's Atlantic coast. And although many people know the county as a winter destination for the likes of starlets and snowbirds, few know that German U-boats sank sixteen ships off the coast in 1942. Nor do they know that eleven "barefoot mailmen" originally took on the mail service between Palm Beach and Miami. In Palm Beach Past: The Best of "Post Time," author and local journalist Eliot Kleinberg has compiled a collection of historical vignettes--which originally appeared in the Palm Beach Post--about the intriguing people and events in the county's history. Kleinberg reveals little-known facts about the development of the region's prestigious neighborhoods and parks, while introducing readers to some of the most captivating and eccentric characters. For readers who want to understand the Palm Beach County of today or those who enjoy local history and just want a "good read," Palm Beach Past is a must.

Palm Beach Past: The Best of "Post Time"

History Press Library Editions

During the Prohibition era, the Royal Poinciana Hotel in Palm Beach featured a secret hallway that led to a clandestine speakeasy called Hypocrite's Row." About the same time, the infamous Ashley gang, a ragtag band of violent criminals, had South Florida gripped in fear. Indeed, few eras in few places were as exciting, outrageous and tragic as the period between World War I and the hammer fall of the Great Depression, when Florida partied, passed out and woke up with one heck of a hangover. From rumrunners to pirates, mobsters to moguls, Palm Beach County has hosted its fair share of questionable characters over the decades. Meet the faces and places that have shaped Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast with renowned local author Eliot Kleinberg, who draws on his "Post Time" column in the Palm Beach Post to offer this unique glimpse into the extraordinary history of Palm Beach."

Wicked Palm Beach: Lifestyles of the Rich and Heinous

From theme parks to ballparks, the quirky to the educational, Miami to Tallahassee -- every city and county in Florida are covered in this newly expanded edition: What's responsible for more than 2,800 holes in Palm Beach County? Which came first, St. Augustine or Plymouth Rock? What's Osceola County's biggest city that technically isn't a city at all? Where in Florida can you participate in the King Mango Strut? What Oscar-winning actress hails from the small town of Bascom, Florida? What's bigger, Walt Disney World or New York's Manhattan Island? It's everything you need to know about Florida -- and more!

Florida Fun Facts

Pineapple Press

Eliot Kleinberg's vocation, avocation, and obsession are Florida history. Here are 57 of his favorite places to visit. Take this book along with you on your next trip around Florida.

Historical Traveler's Guide to Florida, 2nd Edition

From theme parks to ballparks, the quirky to the educational, Miami to Tallahassee — every city and county in Florida are covered in this newly expanded edition:

Reference

From Fort Pickens in the Panhandle to Fort Jefferson in the ocean 40 miles beyond Key West, historical travelers will find many adventures waiting for them in Florida. In this new updated edition the author presents 74 of his favorites—17 of them are new to this edition, and the rest have been completely updated. Along the Gulf Coast, see Henry Plant's Moorish jewel of a hotel in Tampa; John Ringling's home and art and circus museums in Sarasota; and the humble homes of Cuban and Italian cigar workers in legendary Ybor City. Up in north Florida visit Civil War battlefields; stroll the University of Florida campus; and see buffalo and wild Spanish horses on Paynes Prairie. In central Florida explore Eatonville, home of writer Zora Neale Hurston, and listen to carillon music as you stroll the gardens around Bok Tower. Down in the keys find the 250-year-old wreck of the San Pedro, a "living museum in the sea" and the Key West home of famous author Ernest Hemingway.

Historical Traveler's Guide to Florida

Dust jacket notes: "When Henry Flagler came to the Lake Worth region in 1893, he called it 'a veritable paradise.' And then he had a vision: He would turn Palm Beach into the most highfalutin resort in the world. And he would build a commercial city across the lake 'for my help.' That city was West Palm Beach. What began as Flagler's servants' quarters soon became a bustling frontier town, as wild as any in the Wild West. And it attracted people every bit as colorful as the Vanderbilts and Astors who visited Flagler's grand hotels in Palm Beach. In its 100 fascinating years, West Palm Beach has survived a boom, a bust, a hurricane that killed 2,000, a war right off its shore, another boom and a recession. Now it faces perhaps the greatest challenge of all, the revitalization of downtown. Pioneers in Paradise: West Palm Beach, The First 100 Years captures the frontier spirit of the people who turned a swamp into a city - and the natural beauty that lured them here."

Pioneers in Paradise: West Palm Beach, the First 100 Years

Longstreet Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kleinberg, Eliot. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kleinberg, Eliot

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kleinberg, Eliot. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Black Cloud: The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928

Black Cloud: The Great Hurricane of 1928

Pioneers in Paradise: West Palm Beach - the First 100 Years

Palm Beach Past: The Best of "Post Time"

Wicked Palm Beach: Lifestyles of the Rich and Heinous

Florida Fun Facts

Historical Traveler's Guide to Florida, 2nd Edition

Florida Fun Facts

Historical Traveler's Guide to Florida

Pioneers in Paradise: West Palm Beach, the First 100 Years