Worth Another Look, “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!”

“The light and pow’r are on the way,
And when they come they’ll come to stay”
—From Dr. W. H. Cotton’s Ode to
Lake Worth (see below).

“The light and pow’r” refers to the original Lake Worth electric power plant:


Established as the Lake Worth Water, Light, and Ice Company, the franchise was introduced in October 28, 1913 by Lake Worth’s first appointed Mayor, J.W. Means.
     The “turning on of the lights” took place on May 18, 1914. This date has been used to determine an “original pioneer”.

UPDATE: Everyone is invited to a special
event this Saturday!

More details are below.


And the story continues. . .


So while the ‘juice’ was getting hooked up there were a whole lot of other things going on as well, like the water flowing in the right direction.

The water was a massive project and if you’ve never seen the C-51 Canal and the S-155 water control structure up close, you and your family can do that this Saturday along with an egg hunt and a picnic potluck at a place called Spillway Park, one of the hidden treasures in LWB. More details about this special event are at the end of this blog post today.

Now back to 1919.

“Pioneers assembled for group
portrait – Lake Worth, Florida”:

From Florida Memory collection, State
Library & Archives of Florida.

Stumbled on this back in September 2011. I think it’s to the tune of “O Tannenbaum”:

Lake Worth, Florida
By Dr. W. H. Cotton [circa 1920]
 

1
The nation’s eye is on thy sands
Florida, O Florida!
Thy lovely shores and fertile lands,
Florida, O Florida!
The future whispers in thy pines,
It beckons in thy “white coal” mines,
The pioneer to thee inclines
Florida, O Florida!
Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!

2
Lake Worth’s the place for you, to go,
Florida, O Florida!
They’ll put you up a bungalow
Florida, O Florida!
The interest takes not a cent,
You pay the cost instead of rent.
What better plan could man invent?
Florida, O Florida!
Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!

3
Adieu to bleak and frozen lands,
Florida, O Florida!
Adieu to wastes and desert sands,
Florida, O Florida!
In Florida I’ll make my home,
Nor want the placer sands of Nome;
Her gold is in her fertile loam;
Florida, O Florida!
Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!

4
Lake Worth will greet you with a smile,
Florida, O Florida!
She’ll fix you up in bully style,
Florida, O Florida!
Beneath the kindly southern sun,
She’ll see your fortune well begun;
You’d better be upon the run.
(To) Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth, Florida

5
The Lake Worth Herald helps along,
Florida, O Florida!
It's editor is R. E. Strong.
Florida, O Florida!
he keeps things moving in the way
Of doing something day by day,
And renders service as he may
(For) Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth, Florida!

6
Our Governor reflects the hour,
Florida, O Florida!
He stands for Okeechobee’s pow’r
Florida, O Florida!
Great Edison is with us, too,
And Bryan is of that great crew
That makes the prospect good to view,
(In) Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth, Florida!

7
Why falter, then? There’s no excuse,
Florida, O Florida!
The “Wizard” will turn on the “juice”.
Florida, O Florida!
The light and pow’r are on the way,
And when they come they’ll come to stay,
To usher in a brighter day,
(For) Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth Florida!

8
The “Commoner’s” not here for fun,
Florida, O Florida!
He sees the chance-- sixteen to one ---
(In) Florida, O Florida!
With Trammal, Bryan and the rest
Lake Worth shall flower with the best -
Lake Worth, In Florida, the blest --
Florida, O Florida!
Oh, my Lake Worth, Florida!

The End.

The image below is from The New York Times that mentions Trammell and Bryan from 1922. Trammell was the 21st Governor of the State of Florida and served as U.S. Senator for almost twenty years. The NYT article is near the date when the lyrics were authored, which would correspond with the “boom” period of 1920s Florida.

Click on image to enlarge: 

“Special to The New York Times.”

About the event on Saturday (4/13) at Spillway Park in Lake Worth Beach.

There will be some special guests in attendance who will be walking around talking about history whilst the kids are hunting eggs. This event is an egg hunt and a history hunt.

Here are the basics. The College Park Neighborhood Assoc. will be having an April Egg Hunt and Picnic Potluck on Saturday from 3:00–6:00 at Spillway Park. This is a family event and everyone is encouraged to bring along beverages and a dish or three. Spillway Park is at the end of Maryland Drive off Federal Hwy. in Lake Worth Beach just south of West Palm Beach.