Happy 125th birthday: Daily News hits milestone in telling Palm Beach stories
Happy 125th birthday to us!
In 1897, Palm Beach was fast gaining popularity as a winter vacation spot for the nation's elite thanks to Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler and his iconic hotels.
It seemed fitting, then, that there should be a newspaper of record to chronicle life in the town.
On Feb. 12 that year, newspaperman S. Bobo Dean — in a venture with his brother Joel — launched The Daily Lake Worth News, which would become the Palm Beach Daily News. It soon would become known as "The Shiny Sheet" because of the high-quality paper on which it was printed.
In that first issue, Dean told readers: "The Daily News will give all the interesting news related to people, places and things around Lake Worth, the most charming spot in Florida. The hotels and their guests, the daily doings and arrivals will receive especial attention. In fact, all the news will be printed in the paper."
Real estate advertisements top the front page of that first edition while ads for hotels, doctors, tailors and a dentist, along with the railroad schedule, fill space inside.
Now, 125 years later, coverage of society happenings — balls, galas and, to a much lesser extent, those hotel guests — remain a key part of what we do, but we also focus on "all the interesting news" about real estate, business, government and life in Palm Beach.
Real estate ads still dominate our paper, but ads for retail and other businesses as well as the charities that host events on the island also are a significant presence.
And, 125 years later, people who want to read the Shiny Sheet have options in how they receive the news. Print subscriptions remain a popular option but folks also can get a digital subscription, which offers an e-paper and much more. Either subscription provides full access to our website, including subscriber-only stories.
We know our celebration is a little late, but we thought it would be fitting to have our party with the first edition of the new season.
For more on the paper's history, read the timeline below and jump to our special package in today's C section.
Palm Beach Daily News Timeline
1894: Alabama native S. Bobo Dean forms the Dean Publishing Co., and with his brother, Joel, launches The Weekly Lake Worth News in West Palm Beach.
1897: The Palm Beach Daily News is born, although under a different name: The Deans begin publishing The Daily Lake Worth News, a seasonal publication printed every day except Sunday. By 1899, it has been renamed the Palm Beach Daily News and is the only daily paper between St. Augustine and Key West.
1905: Dean sells his interest to Palm Beach founding father Henry M. Flagler, who distances himself from the Daily News by bringing in Englishman Richard Overend Davies as publisher. The newspaper’s high-quality paper stock soon gives it the nickname it enjoys today – “The Shiny Sheet.”
1906: Davies debuts Palm Beach Life.
1913: Davies moves his publishing company’s operations plant from West Palm Beach to a small building in Palm Beach. In 1925, the Davies family will construct a more substantial building on the same site at the corner of County Road and Brazilian Avenue.
1920: Davies buys out the Flagler heirs’ interest in the Daily News.
1925: Davies’ son, Oscar, succeeds his father as publisher.
1929: Oscar Davies helps spearhead fundraising for and construction of the Addison Mizner-designed Memorial Fountain and Park behind Town Hall; it is dedicated in 1930.
1935: Oscar Davies retires as publisher but retains ownership; Ruby Edward Pierce, who in 1910 became business manager and editor of the Daily News, now leads the paper — a position she will hold until her retirement in 1954.
1948: Attorney John H. Perry Sr., a Kentucky native with a home in Palm Beach, buys the Daily News. His Perry Publications includes newspapers from Jacksonville to Delray Beach, including The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Times.
1952: Perry’s son, John H. Perry Jr., inherits the papers upon his father’s death and revolutionizes newspaper production with new technologies.
1969: Cox Enterprises, a major national media company, buys the Daily News.
1974: The Daily News moves to 265 Royal Poinciana Way, where it will remain for 36 years.
1976: Agnes Ash becomes publisher of the Daily News and expands the newspaper’s scope, including regular coverage of the Town Council.
1991: Joyce Reingold succeeds Ash as publisher. Under her guidance, the Daily News launches its website — PalmBeachDailyNews.com — in 1996 and later adds products for smartphones and other digital platforms. She also oversees the newspaper’s 2011 move to offices at 400 Royal Palm Way.
1993: The Daily News establishes a holiday toy drive to benefit children and teenagers in need, a tradition that continues today with the participation of the town’s fire-rescue stations and Town of Palm Beach United Way.
1997: The Daily News publishes as special edition to mark its 100th birthday.
2014: Upon Reingold’s retirement, Tim Burke becomes publisher, the same position he holds at The Palm Beach Post.
2018: Cox Enterprises sells the Daily News and its sister paper, The Palm Beach Post, to GateHouse Media Inc.
2019: GateHouse Media and Gannett Co. merge, and the combined company takes the Gannett name. Burke retires and Nick Moschella takes over as editor of The Palm Beach Post and market leader, overseeing the Daily News.
2020: Paper shutters office on Royal Palm Way and moves to 2751 S. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. Moschella retires and Rick Christie takes over as executive editor of the Post. As deputy regional editor for USA Today Network's Southeast Florida region, he oversees the Daily News.
Carol Rose is the editor of Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at crose@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Happy 125th birthday: Shiny Sheet marks a milestone
