Since Palm Coast’s incorporation, a dedicated group of historians has worked to preserve the stories, photographs, artifacts, and memories that define our community. In 2000, the City’s first Council appointed Margaret Davies and Art Dycke as Co-Historians, tasking them with collecting and organizing Palm Coast’s history while helping establish what would become the Palm Coast Historical Society & Museum. Their efforts created the foundation for historical preservation in Palm Coast and ensured that the stories of the city’s pioneers, neighborhoods, businesses, and civic milestones would be documented for future generations. 

Among these early preservationists, Art Dycke became one of the most recognizable and influential voices in Palm Coast history. A retired educator, author, co-author of the City Charter, and historian, Art dedicated more than two decades to documenting the city’s growth from a planned ITT community into one of Florida’s fastest-growing cities. Through newsletters, public presentations, archival research, museum exhibits, and his books Palm Coast (FL) and Smolen: The Father of Palm Coast, he preserved countless stories that otherwise may have been lost. Art served as City Co-Historian from 2000 until his retirement in 2024 and passed away on May 18, 2026, at the age of 92. His legacy lives on through the records he preserved, the museum he helped build, and the generations of residents who continue to learn from his work.