The Hillsboro Club Herbert Lawrence Malcolm 1884-1959 Florida faced the early years of its history being governed or ruled under the flags of five countries, one of those countries, England, awarded land grants to various noblemen. Of the land grants, the Earl of Hillsborough was given ownership of a large parcel of land in South Florida along the East Coast which included an inlet from the interior and is now known by the shortened name of Hillsboro and Hillsboro Inlet. This grant was inhabited by Indians, panthers, bears, alligators, snakes, pirates, bootleggers and smugglers. It wasn't much that the Earl could use to any great advantage other than to be known as a large land holder. The land was unsuitable for agriculture, ranches or for trading purposes. It was at the site of the Hillsboro Inlet located on a small peninsula that is adjacent to the Hillsboro Lighthouse that was erected in the year 1907 in the land boom of the early 1920s', that a young school master, Herbert Lawrence Malcolm, a 1907 graduate of Yale University, a man with vision purchased 16 acres of this land on the North side of the Inlet from the estate of the Earl of Hillsborough for a reported price of seventy five cents an acre, built a rambling frame building of Dade County pine and opened it as a boys school. Malcolm realized early off this type of facility was not going to be profitable and he decided to turn it into a vacation spot for winter visitors. It was this decision that enabled him to create one of the most elite and fabulous spots for privacy and elegance in the country. The facility was offered to guests for $35.00 per week and he made it a club hotel with memberships, which are next to impossible to obtain today as they are handed down from generation to generation. To become a member you had to be recommended in writing by four members of the club, reviewed by the clubs membership committee whose suggestion went to the board of directors for approval. Memberships were limited. The rambling white buildings, some built just at the high tide mark on the ocean were so completely secluded that any traffic in later years traversing the beach road was unseen and unheard. Malcolm said that "money is secondary to social importance and background," and the club remained unchanged in its exclusive membership and building make-up since 1925. Herbert realized the importance of experienced employees. He was instrumental in putting together and training a staff that for the most part remained at the club for many years. Some, like Zora Isler Saxon who was raised at the Hillsboro lighthouse worked as a waitress from 1946 until she retired in 1971 as head waitress. Her Mother Louise, sister Irene and her brother "Beck" Isler also worked there. "Beck" was the Supt. of Maintenance and called the club, "home". Their father and Louise's husband, J.B. Isler were the keepers of the lighthouse from 1920 until 1939. The Hillsboro club provided employment to a large number of people during a period of time when jobs were almost non existent. There were approximately 155 employees of the club that attended to the comfort, wants and needs of the members and guests. Activities at the club included tennis, shuffle board, swimming, sunbathing or just lounging. A Lanai lounge was added later amid much protest but was gradually accepted. Previous to this, drinks were only served in the privacy of members rooms. Dinner required coat and tie for men, sandals and bathrobe covering bathing suits were allowed in the dining area at lunchtime. Herbert Malcolm was a man of many interests, he was an adventurer and mountain climber, scaling the Matterhorn at the age of 69. Malcolm loved to run and at the age of 73, ran the 220 yard dash in 29 seconds. His wife died in 1940 and Malcolm remarried in 1941. This marriage produced two children, Herbert L. Jr. (Sandy) and Mary. Sandy followed in his father's footsteps in the Hotel business. His nephew, James Allen Malcolm married a local woman, Remelle Wilson. Allen was the Scout Master and leader at First Methodist Church Pompano for many years and I was one of the many boys in Pompano that had him as scoutmaster and remember the good times we had under his leadership. Allen Malcolm is now retired and lives in the Bahama Islands with a vacation home in the Mountains of North Georgia. Herbert Malcolm was civic minded, serving as Mayor, Vice Mayor and Commissioner of the town of Hillsboro Beach, a community 3.7 miles long and 900 feet wide. He gave of his time unselfishly. Allowing the local people access through club property to the beach for surf fishing during the times the club was closed to guests, most of the Pompano High school proms were held at the Hillsboro club and also some of the banquets of high school reunions. Malcolm later bought the Waumbek resort in New Hampshire and the Pink Sands in the Bahamas. In 1959 he gave a developer an option on the club to erect a high-rise apt after failing to get the members to purchase the property. This was protested by the members so in 1962 the members formed the Hillsboro Association and bought the club. To say whether the lifestyle at the club has changed, you would probably get a different answer from as many as you asked. One thing is certain, The Hillsboro Club is as exclusive, intriguing and desirable as it has always been. The Hillsboro Club stands on some of the most expensive, picturesque real estate in the state of Florida. I wonder how the "Earl of Hillsborough "would look upon his "land grant" today? (Herbert Malcolm died in 1959 and is buried in the Pompano Beach Cemetery. Allen Malcolm died in 2000 and is buried in the Bahamas).