The great storm made landfall in Palm Beach County on September 16, 1928 and caused at least 2,500 area deaths, most of which were migrant, black farm workers who did not receive proper burials at the time.
WHAT: The City of West Palm Beach and the West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, in partnership with the Storm of ’28 Memorial Park Coalition, will host a 90th anniversary community memorial event to remember the victims who lost their lives to Florida’s infamous and tragic Hurricane of 1928.
WPB Mayor Muoio along with City Commissioners and coalition members will lay a wreath at the Storm of ’28 memorial at 3:30 PM to honor the African American victims buried at this mass grave site.
The great storm made landfall in Palm Beach County on September 16, 1928 and caused at least 2,500 area deaths, most of which were migrant, black farm workers who did not receive proper burials at the time. The burial site in West Palm Beach recognizes the African American victims of the storm who were laid in a mass gravesite at 25th Street and Tamarind Avenue, and is the final resting place for 674 victims. The site was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and a state historical marker was added in 2003 during the 75th anniversary of the hurricane.
The wreath laying will be followed by a community gathering with music and refreshments. For more information visit wpb.org/cra or call 561.822.1550.