December 2005
20 posts
1 tag
The Name Game
Although now known as Lake Santa Barbara, the body of water in southeast Pompano Beach was earlier named Lettuce Lake for the aquatic vegetation that grew at its surface. Among locals in the early years the lake was also called Hardy’s Lake, after Isaac Hardy, a pioneer who settled along the lakeshore in 1899.
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Pompano Theater
In the 1920s: Recreation was given a much needed boost with the opening of the new Pompano Theater, the only movie house between Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach. Constructed by the Kester Brothers at a cost of $85,000.00 the two story Spanish style theater was designed by Fort Lauderdale architect C. Hobart Sherwood and featured two stores and office space as well as a large pipe organ and enough...
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Recreation
The City of Pompano Beach did not establish a recreation department until 1953. For a number of years it was housed in the city’s first fire station on NE 4th Avenue.
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When Towns Began
The City of Pompano Beach will be celebrating its 100th anniversary of incorporation in 2008. One might contend, however, that the current city dates from only 1947. In that year the municipalities of Pompano and the new town of Pompano Beach merged to form Pompano Beach. But although there was a name change and an expansion of the boundaries, little else changed. The residents of Pompano Beach...
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Best Wishes for the Holidays
The Pompano Beach Historical Society hopes you have a very merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah.
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Thanks, Judy!
Pompano Beach Planning Department employee Judy Harris is retiring. She has served as the staff liaison to the Pompano Beach Historic Preservation Advisory Board and has been an invaluable resource to that group. Her knowledge of the inner workings of municipal government, as well as her commitment to seeing that the job was done right, helped keep the HPAB moving forward. Judy will be moving to...
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The Name Game
The Hillsboro Inlet (as well as the town of Hillsboro Beach) was named by surveyor William DeBrahm in the 1770s.The French and Indian War awakened the British government to the need for better maps of its North American empire, and with the advent of peace, a program was established for mapping the entire Eastern seaboard. To accomplish this, the colonies were divided north and south at the...
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Coming to Pompano
For those families that moved to Pompano in the early years (even through the 1920s and later), it was more common than not for the husbands and older boys to “scout” out the area first. Many times the men would leave the rest of the family and come to Pompano to work a season or two before bringing their wife and small children down and establishing permanent residency.
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Santa Claus is Coming to Florida
Coming as he does when the northland is covered in snow, Santa Claus has long been used by Florida to promote tourism. In this Florida Department of Commerce photograph from 1956, St. Nick hoists a glass of what we suppose is orange juice to celebrate his arrival to the warm weather “down south.” (Photo courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection)
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First Cities
Which are the oldest cities in South Florida (Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties)? Here is a list, using the date each municipality was incorporated: Key West (1828) West Palm Beach (1894) Miami (1896) Dania Beach (1904) Pompano Beach (1908) Palm Beach (1911) Fort Lauderdale (1911) Delray Beach (1911) Greenacres (1911) Homestead (1913) Miami Beach (1915) There...
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Northwest Branch
The Pompano Beach Northwest Branch Library, located on the corner of Esther Rolle Blvd. and NW 16th Street, was established in 1977 in a doublewide trailer. The permanent library facility was completed in 1983.
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Silver Thatch Inn
We received this view of the Silver Thatch on the beach from an anonymous donor — the image was not dated, but is probably from the late 1930s or 1940s. During the Second World War, the Inn housed Coast Guardsmen who patrolled the beach.
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The Insect County
When Pompano was incorporated in 1908, it was part of Dade County. Dade County was created in 1836, and over time its northern boundary shifted, until Broward County came into existence in 1915. It appears that what is today northern Broward County was once part of a county whose name is lost to history. Mosquito County was created in 1824 and according to a map of the period ran from the...
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On this Date
On December 9, 1960, the New River Tunnel opened in Fort Lauderdale. It was the first, and is still the only, public road vehicular tunnel in Florida.
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Grand Opening
Opening Ceremonies at the Pompano Beach State Farmers Market, November 19, 1039.
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Backyard Fruit
In the “old days” virtually all Pompano residents had fruit trees in their yards. Many of the old citrus trees are gone, having fallen victim to the citrus canker eradication program. There are still plenty of mango trees around (in spite of Hurricane Wilma’s best efforts) and avocado trees are not that uncommon. Still, there use to be a much wider variety of fruits growing in...
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The Big Freeze
In 1926, the Pompano Electric Light and Ice Company expanded its ice-making facilities and was capable of producing thirty-five tons of ice. The company also began home delivery of ice that year.
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Slip into the Water
After the bridge across the Intracoastal waterway was constructed in 1916, and up until the 1930s, fishermen often launched their small boats at the end of Ocean Drive (today’s Atlantic Boulevard).
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Holiday Open House
The Pompano Beach Historical Society will hold its annual holiday open house on Wednesday, December 14th, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Dick & Miriam Hood Center, 217 NE 4th Avenue, Pompano Beach. Refreshments will be served and there will be guided tours of the Kester Cottages museum. The event is free and open to the public.
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The Search for the Oldest Restaurant
Yesterday we asked, what is the oldest restaurant in Pompano Beach? There were several suggestions, but we’ll discard those restaurants with name and location changes. It was thought that the oldest might be the Flaming Pit on North Federal Highway, which goes back to the late 1950s, at least. On further reflection, the winner is probably the Farmers Market Restaurant located on the grounds...