Built in 1886, the Little Red Schoolhouse was Southeast Florida’s very first school, originally located about a mile north of the Royal Poinciana Bridge along the Lake Trail in Palm Beach. Its first seven students were taught by 16-year-old Hattie Gale, daughter of Reverend Elbridge Gale, a former Kansas State agriculture professor turned minister and botanist.
Students arrived by boat, bike, or on foot, all learning together in a single room. By the 1890s, enrollment had climbed to 35 children, largely from pioneer families. The school closed in 1901, fell into disrepair, and was later restored and moved to Phipps Ocean Park in 1960.
Today, it’s home to the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach’s “living history” program, where fourth-graders spend a day in an 1890s classroom.
📍 Visit & Learn More: preservationfoundation.org/littleredschoolhouse
