n commemoration of the centennial of its opening in 1914, Kiss of the Oceans will tell the fascinating story of the construction of the Panama Canal, one of the world’s great technological achievements. Through artifacts, photographs, documents, and films, the exhibition will illustrate the Canal’s story from sixteenth-century explorers to nineteenth-century debates, the failed French canal project of the 1880s, the massive American takeover in 1904, and finally the first official transit on August 15, 1914.
Beginning in the sixteenth century, a number of countries attempted to find a convenient route from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the narrow land bridge connecting North and South America. It was widely recognized that a waterway across the Isthmus would have a major impact on world commerce and power. However, until the twentieth century, sailing around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America remained the only water route between the two oceans.
For more information, or to purchase advance tickets, please contact the Flagler Museum at (561) 655-2833 or visit www.FlaglerMuseum.us.
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When it was completed in 1902, Whitehall, Henry Flagler’s Gilded Age estate in Palm Beach, was hailed by the New York Herald as “more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world.” Today, Whitehall is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as the Flagler Museum, featuring guided tours, changing exhibits, and special programs. The Museum is located at One Whitehall Way, Palm Beach. The Museum is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and noon until 5:00 p.m., Sunday. Admission is $18 for adults, $10 for youth ages 13-17, $3 for children ages 6-12, and children under six are free. For more information visit www.flaglermuseum.us or call (561) 655-2833.