November 2006
19 posts
1 tag
Pompano Theater
The Pompano Theater building, located at the corner of NE 1st Street and 4th Avenue, was owned by William L. Kester and housed the lobby for the movies, a beauty shop and the first store of Mary Webb. Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Case operated the movie house. She sold tickets from a little 4 x 4 foot ticket booth at the center of the open lobby. Mr. Case collected the tickets at the right-hand door. ...
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Camp Blanding
During World War II, many Florida inductees had their first taste of military life at Camp Blanding, located in northern Florida, between Gainesville and Jacksonville. At its peak, Camp Blanding encompassed 170,000 acres and contained 10,000 buildings. It’s population rose to 100,000 troops, making it the state’s fouth largest city. Although greatly reduced in size, Camp Blanding is...
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Where Did Everyone Go?
In 1870, the population of Dade County (which included today’s Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties) stood at only 85 people. This was less than 20% of its population in 1840. The most likely explanation for this decline was the ongoing hostilities of the Seminole Wars.
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F. K. Walker
Pompano Beach lost another pioneer when Frank Kenneth Walker passed away this past Saturday, November 25th. He was a Life Member of the Pompano Beach Historical Society. Mr. Walker graduated from Pompano High School in 1931, and according to records collected by the Beanpicker Reunion Committee, he was the oldest surviving male graduate of the school. He married Gladys McNab and lived for many...
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Hard Times
As the following letter shows, the Great Depression meant hards times not only for individuals, but also for municipalities.City of Pompano Pompano, Florida April 14, 1931 The Hackensack Trust Co. Hackensack, N.J. Gentlemen: We regret very much to advise that due to the small percentage of taxes collected it will be financially impossible for us to have monies on deposit in New York City for...
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Off to the Races
Although the Pompano Horse Racing Track was closed soon after it opened in 1926 for violating the State gambling laws, the facility didn’t sit idle, as shown in the following newspaper article:The second annual automobile races will be held at the Pompano race track on July 4, it was decided at a meeting of the Florida Motor Contest association held in Miami recently. Ten cash prizes will be...
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Holy Cross' Beginnings
In 1952 twenty-two and a half acres of land were purchased between Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale on Federal Highway for the construction of a new hospital — Holy Cross. The location was somewhat isolated, as there was very little other development in the immediate vicinity. Construction began the following year, and the first patients were admitted in December of 1955.
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Broward General's Beginnings
The origin of Broward County’s public hospital system dates back to May, 1937, when members of the Broward County Medical Association adopted a resolution calling for an appointed committee to “explore the general feeling toward a community drive for a publicly supported hospital.” Prior to this time, private hospitals had served the area, but ownership and the level of service...
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Pompano's Black Population in 1920
According to the 1920 U.S. Census, there were 753 individuals living in the Pompano precinct that year. This included 636 people living within the municipal boundaries and 117 living in the surrounding unincorporated areas. Out of the total population, almost half (301) were black. Of Pompano’s black population, 131 were born in Florida, 104 in the Bahamas, 24 in Georgia and 42 were born...
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The Warlord
The eternal question: Is professional wrestling a competitive sport or staged entertainment? Whatever, it is a multi-million dollar business. Pompano Beach’s contribution to professional wrestling is Terry Szopinski. He was born in here on March 28, 1962. He began wrestling in 1986 under the name “The Warlord.” Later, he joined with fellow wrestler Sione Vailahi (aka “The...
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From Pompano to Alcatraz
Although there are plenty of tall tales about Al Capone being here or there in Broward County at various times, Pompano Beach was the scene of one big-time gangster’s arrest. Harry Fleischer was a member of Detroit’s notorious and violent Purple Gang during the era of prohibition. The Purple Gang, composed largely of Jewish members, controlled most of the illegal booze business, as...
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Sister Cities
In 1565, two cities in the New World were established: St. Augustine in Spanish La Florida and Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro in Portuguese South America. The two settlements began for common reasons, to serve as base for repulsing French attempts to colonize the nearby areas (in both cases by French Huguenots), and to establish a permanent presence to secure the region. Both St. Augustine and...
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Dealing with Debt
The Great Depression came to Florida before it was felt by the rest of the nation, and the state was unprepared to deal with the realities of the financial and human crisis:Florida became a metaphor for the boom and bust years of the 1920s, and no state experienced the highs and lows and more thoroughly. By the time the stock market collapsed in the fall of 1929, Florida was already mired in four...
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The Bahamains
The coming of the railroad of South Florida in 1896 created an opportunity for Bahamian immigrants. In point of fact, throughout the 19th century both black and white Bahamians had treated southern Florida, particularly the Keys, as very much as just an extension of the island chain. Still, the settlement of South Florida at the turn of the century brought with it the need for additional labor,...
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Going Up
Between 1950 and 1965, the value of building permits issued in Pompano Beach rose from two million dollars to nearly twenty million dollars.
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Miriam Hood
Miriam Hood, a past president of the Pompano Beach Historical Society, passed away peacefully this morning at the age of 99. Miriam and her late husband, Dick, were instrumental in the growth of the Historical Society, including the purchase and restoration of Pompano’s original fire engine and the acquisition and restoration of the Society’s two Kester Cottages. The Society’s...
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Showing at the Pompano Theatre
The Pompano Theatre, located in the 300 block of NE First Street, was showing the following movies the week of June 24 through June 30, 1928:Sunday and Monday: The Noose, starring Richard Barthelmess and Alice Joyce Tuesday and Wednesday: No Man’s Land, starring Rex (“The Wonder Horse”) and Barbara Kent Thursday and Friday: The Patsy, starring Marion Davies and Lawrence Gray...
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Agricultural Woes
The 1957-58 growing season may not have been the coldest on record, but that year many Pompano farmers counted it as the most disastrous. Cold spells in December and January forced farmers to replant their lost crops, but when rain, floods, high winds and frosts arrived in February, it was too late to do anything other than count the losses. U. S. Representative Paul Rogers promised government...
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Building a Railroad
Henry Flagler was in the railroad business for ten years before the Florida East Coast Railway came into being. In 1885, just two years after he became a resident of St. Augustine, he purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax Railroad to bring guests to his new hotel, the Ponce de Leon. This narrow-gauge railroad went from South Jacksonville to St. Augustine. Flagler converted it to...
