Harry Kelsey (WD) 1-10-7917FLSFY,FE2
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HARRY KELSEY
By Charles A. Branch
Former V. -P ot'Developer Harry S. Kelsey
A .s Fold To Geoffrey Birt
Charles A. Bi at. ch was vice president to -Harry S.
Kelsey, developer 3f what is today the town of Lake
Park during the 1)111s. An engineer, he played a major
role in the buildii g of the Palm Beach Winter Club,
known today as t4c: Oakes Mansion, located at the
North Palra Beach f: oi entry Club — a charming (if now
decaying) building oi' architectural significance which
exudes real "character-".
Today, Mr. Branch (B. Oct. 22, 1892) resideq in
retirement with his vv-ife at 4500 N. Dixie Highway ( the
Regency Apartments), West Palm Beach, and this is
the third in a series of articles he specially penned for
this column on the mansion and pioneer days in the
Lake Park -.North Palm .'Beach area (N.P.B., of course,
did not exist in the days of the roaring twenties):
"In Dec. 1927 I was introduced to a Mr. Smiley who
had a small airport in Tennessee. Under his direction, I
constructed an airstrip just north of the Earman River
and west of the Prosperity Farms Road on (part of) our
land which was known as the Kelsey City Dairy.
`When we reopened the Palm Beach Winter Club
(Now the NPB club and golf course), Jan. 12, 1928, Mr.
Smiley gave aerial exhibitions over the fairways, driving
many of the players (off the course and) running for
cover, but his Fairchild 'plane acted correctly and no
damage was done
The clubhouse (now the Oakes Mansion) was again
under the direction of Miss Falconer and the local girls
who acted as cooks and waitresses, many who I see
about us today. The winter season was well attended but
much of the glamor had gone because of the Florida
land bust.
"Mr. Kelsey was meeting with financial difficulties.
The I.R.S. was looking into his reported profits and
losses of hiS peTso.-ial dealings and those of the (Kelsey
owned) East Coast Finance Corp. All resulting charges
were founds to be in error against him, but that was
years later. Meantime, Kelsey's ability to raise funds
and sell properties was limited by the government
action.
Kelsey Vs. The I. R. S.
(Branc;h was interviewed on this IRS point, for
clarification and elaboration. He explained to me that
the IRS auditor came to him (Mr. Branch) complaining
of. lack of cooperator by some members of the ECFC
and to ii.rnform him that the government was going to file
a lien against Kelsey's properties.
(Br"an�ich said: "Mr. Kelsey . never went into
bank:rti,ptcy. The matter was settled after the 1928 great
hurricane." The ex-V.P. recalled that when he
telephoned Kelsey— who was in the north— the
developer refused to believe he was at fault, and
returned in a state of indignation against the IRS
auditor — who was rated incompetent. Kelsey
complained to Branch he had paid all his bills and
owned nobody. He asked his attorney -,Bert Winters,
for advice. According to Branch, Winters
recommended that Kelsey should file_ for bankruptcy.
Kelsey asked Winters how much he owed him. Winters
replied, $60,000. Thereupon, Kelsey wrote him an
I.O.U. for $60,000 and Winters departed. Branch
added .-G.B.)
"In the end Kelsey returned to Boston and started
some promotions on frozen food stuffs --- in his earliest
days he had developed a chain of restaurants. Finally,
with the help of Sam Bickford -- a former associate --
Kelsey re-entered the real estate field in the Orlando
area. He did not die poor, but he never again became
very wealthy. He managed to make a good living."
WeekDay January 14-16, 1979