Authentic Period Sets in Palm Beach County

Yesteryear Village is one of Palm Beach County’s most distinctive filming environments, offering a fully realized historic setting that spans late nineteenth century pioneer life through mid twentieth century rural Florida. Located at the South Florida Fairgrounds, the village features more than 30 carefully preserved and reconstructed buildings including cracker style cottages, clapboard houses, a traditional general store, a working blacksmith shop, a vintage fire station, and a one room schoolhouse.

The architecture reflects a broad collection of eras. You will find classic Florida Cracker design with raised wooden floors and metal roofs, early twentieth century civic structures with simple symmetrical facades, and mid century rural buildings that showcase the transition into more modern materials and design sensibilities. Many interiors are furnished with period artifacts, making the spaces camera ready for historical narratives, documentary recreations, and educational content.

The landscape includes oak canopies, split rail fencing, sandy pathways, porches, gardens, and open lawn areas that support flexible staging. The village allows productions to move between multiple time periods within a single controlled location, providing exceptional value for filmmakers seeking authentic historic architecture without extensive set construction.

Preserved properties provide versatile backdrops for diverse cinematic visions: 

• Period Focus The village focuses on a 50-year span of Florida history, showcasing a time before widespread modern conveniences like running water and consistent electricity were common.
• The Loxahatchee Groves Schoolhouse The first historic structure to be moved to the fairgrounds in 1990, bringing Yesteryear Village to life. Opened in 1936, it's considered one of the longest continuously used schoolhouses in Palm Beach County and originally served less than 50 children of different ages in a one-room setting.
• The Riddle House Originally known as the "Gatekeeper's Cottage," this 1905 Edwardian-style house was built by workers constructing Henry Flagler's hotels. It later became the home of Karl Riddle, the first city manager of West Palm Beach. The house was moved to the village in 1995 to save it from demolition by Palm Beach Atlantic College and is now considered one of the most haunted houses in the United States, a fact that has attracted attention from paranormal projects and TV shows like Ghost Adventures.
• The Only Big Band Museum in the U.S. The Sally Bennett Big Band Hall of Fame Museum, dedicated to the music and history of the Big Band era.
• Authentic Settings The park includes other authentic and replicated structures, such as a general store, a blacksmith shop, a print shop, a firehouse, a church with its original pews, and a fishing camp.