Flagler Beach Historical Museum

10/13/2026

We are looking forward to seeing the creativity come alive in this year's Flagler Beach businesses Scarecrow Contest!

City of Flagler Beach

10/11/2026

That 21-year-old rural mail carrier in Bartow, Florida, on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, is Claude Grady Varn (1890-1979), a man whom Flagler County and Flagler Beach would later come to know and celebrate. The image is circa 1911, courtesy of Florida Memory, a digital outreach program of the State Library and Archives of Florida. The colorized image precedes the original unaltered photo. Within a year, young Claude Varn would attend law school at Stetson University. After graduating in 1914, he was admitted to the State Bar and began practicing law in DeLand before moving to Bunnell in 1917. There, he became the local attorney for the Florida East Coast Railway. When Flagler County was founded later in 1917, the governor appointed him attorney for the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners, a position he served in from 1917 to 1926.

Claude Varn was a prime mover in creating Ocean Shore Boulevard, now State Road A1A and the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway. He drafted the legislation to create the Ocean Shore Development District, advocated for the bill in the Legislature, and traveled to Tallahassee to secure the Governor's signature in 1923. He also prepared subsequent legislation that extended the project to the north Flagler County line. Then Mr. Varn formed the St. Johns County Bridge Company, of which he was president, to construct the final link in the coastal highway connecting St. Augustine with Flagler Beach and on south to Ponce Inlet. That final link was the Matanzas Inlet Bridge, a creosote wooden toll bridge that began construction in the fall of 1925 and opened on March 20, 1927. Many technical challenges arose from the treacherous, shifting channel and unusually high storm tides. Pilings supporting the bridge in and near the channel were 80 feet long. The third image is a colorized photo of that 1927 toll bridge, followed by the original, unaltered newsprint photo that appeared in The St. Augustine Record on March 15, 1964. An ad in The Daytona Beach News-Journal on August 12, 1927, posted here as the fifth image, noted that travel from St. Augustine to Daytona Beach over the new Ocean Shore Boulevard and its bridges was 22 miles shorter than using the Old Brick Road through Hastings. The final image is a schedule of tolls for the Matanzas Inlet Bridge, published in The St. Augustine Record on August 3, 1930.

On Wednesday, March 11, 1964, the State of Florida dedicated a new concrete bridge that replaced the original wooden bridge over the Matanzas Inlet as the “Claude G. Varn Bridge”, honoring the man so instrumental in linking the beach communities from Jacksonville to Ponce Inlet with the coastal highway that became State Road A1A. Mr. Varn attended the dedication ceremony along with his extended family.

In a life full of accomplishments, Claude Varn is also the founder of Beverly Beach, located about three miles north of Flagler Beach along Ocean Shore Boulevard. Beverly Beach incorporated as a municipality on June 23, 1955, and Mr. Varn served as town attorney.

10/10/2026

🛺🌴 **THREE STOPS. ONE UNFORGETTABLE EVENING!**

Picture this: A parade of decorated golf carts cruising through Flagler Beach, stopping for cocktails, dinner, and dessert. 🍹🍽️🍰

Sounds like a great evening, right? **But the REAL reason we're celebrating is right here in these photos!** ❤️

These young explorers are discovering the history, people, and stories that make Flagler Beach special through the Museum's hands-on educational programs.

And **EVERY dollar raised** through the Coastal Cart Caravan supports our Youth Explorer Program, helping us create more experiences just like these!

🎟️ **Tickets are VERY LIMITED, and we're just TWO WEEKS away!** Don't miss your chance to be part of this exclusive coastal adventure.

📅 Thursday, October 22 | 5–8 PM

🛺 No golf cart? Cart-pool with friends!

❤️ **Come for the fun. Do it for the kids!**

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://givebutter.com/fbhmsponsorships

10/07/2026

Big congrats 🎉 to Boston on winning one of our raffle baskets donated by High Tides and an extra shoutout to Red, who can’t wait to try the outside, pet friendly dining with her human’s gift certificate he won!

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate 25 years of preserving Flagler Beach history with us. Your support keeps the stories, photos, and memories going strong for the next generation.

10/04/2026

📣 The Flagler Beach Historical Museum will be closed Saturday, October 3.

Our museum is staffed by dedicated volunteer docents who generously share their time and love of local history. Family commitments, personal needs, and life’s unexpected moments sometimes affect their availability.

Saturday hours may vary throughout October as we work to arrange volunteer coverage. Please check our page for updates before planning your Saturday visit.

Thank you for your understanding—and for appreciating the volunteers who help keep Flagler Beach’s history alive! 💙

10/02/2026

We were thrilled to be a part of the Flagler County Cultural Council’s annual meeting last night! What a fantastic turnout and we’re excited about the future of arts and culture in Flagler County!

10/01/2026

We're looking forward to seeing you at the 2026 Annual Meeting this evening!

09/30/2026

I mentioned Caleb Hathaway's involvement in Living History, while he was receiving his award last evening at the 25th Anniversary of the Museum. jdf
This coming Saturday in Palm Coast:

📣 THIS SATURDAY!

Join the Palm Coast Historical Society & Museum this morning at 10:00 AM for the next presentation in our 2026 Speaker Series!

🇬🇧 His Majesty’s 60th Regiment of Royal Americans will take us back in time for a fascinating look at an earlier chapter of our area’s history.

📅 October 3rd, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM

Come out, bring a friend, and spend your Saturday morning with us as we bring history to life!

We hope to see you there! 🏛️📜

09/30/2026

09/30/2026