August 2007
24 posts
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A First for Florida
On August 31, 1906, Elizabeth Hutchinson Broward was born. She was the eighth child of Governor and Mrs. Napoleon B. Broward, and the first child ever born to a sitting governor in the State of Florida.
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Less is More
When first incorporated, it was proposed that the Town of Pompano have a seven-member Board of Aldermen (City Council). Residents turned down this motion and voted in favor of a five-member governing board for the new municipality.
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Some of Florida's Jim Crow Laws
In 1903 Florida passed an law imposing a penalty of up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to $1,000 for those who entered a multiracial marriage. For the purposes of this law, a black was defined as anyone with one-eighth “Negro blood”. In 1907 the State Legislature mandated that railroads provide separate waiting rooms for white and blacks, and to publicly mark the facilities as...
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A Big Change
Up through 1900 the Florida Democratic Party held a state convention at which the party hierarchy chose its candidate for governor. Following the 1900 convention, held in Jacksonville, Floridians would begin selecting the candidates in state primaries. The most immediate effect of this change in selecting the party nominee (which, considering that Florida was a one-party state, was tantamount to...
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1925 a Good Year for Blimps
Although the company had been producing envelopes for lighter-than-air ships since 1911, the first “Goodyear blimp” was The Pilgrim, which was put into service for promotional purposes in 1925. The airship was named after an America’s Cup Yacht Race winner, a practice that would continue with subsequent Goodyear blimps until 1987. The Pompano Beach based Stars and Stripes was...
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Lighthouse Day
September 15th is Florida Lighthouse Day 2007, and the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society has put together a number of programs and events to commemorate the occasion. Among the activities are “Arborist Day at Hillsboro Lighthouse” from 8:00 AM to Noon (with a barbecue at 11:30 AM); an AACA Antique Automobile Show at the Emma Lou Olsen Center from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM with...
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Let's Make a Deal
In leiu of payments owed him, in 1815 the Spanish government granted title to the island of Key West to Juan de Estrado, Florida’s colonial governor.
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Fifty Years and Gone
Pompano Beach’s Municipal Stadium has not been used for some time now, and soon its remaining features will be demolished as part of the upgrades at Community Park. The baseball facility was opened in 1957 and over the years was the spring training home to the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (1961 - 1986) as well as the minor league Pompano Beach Mets (1969 - 1973), Pompano Beach Cubs...
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Methodist Gains
In 1926, the First Methodist Church of Pompano had 67 members, although Sunday attendance was usually greater. By 1943, church membership stood at 350, but the average attendance was less than this figure. In part, this may have been the result of wartime dislocations.
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Two New Museums
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on two new history museums that local residents can expect to visit in the not-too-distant future. In Fort Lauderdale, a group of maritime history and archeology enthusiasts have secured a facility for a museum of nautical history. The museum will be located on the north bank of the New River, just east of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. In West...
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Bud Provides a Connection
One of our previous posts led Pompano Beach Historian Bud Garner to reflect:Reading the website today I was pleasantly surprised at the mention of St Augustine and especially the Ponce De Leon Hotel. You probably are aware of the role the Ponce de Leon played during World War II; it was taken over by the US Coast Guard for their training facility. R.L. Landers, a Texas boy (later married to Helen...
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Before the Intracoastal
The precursor of the Intracoastal Waterway along Florida’s eastern seaboard … was constructed by the Florida Coast Line Canal and Transportation Company, which received Letters Patent under the Laws of Florida on May 23, 1881. The canal then contemplated by the Company was one connecting the Matanzas River with the Indian River. By subsequent resolution filed with the Secretary of...
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From Flagler to Disney
From the crest of St. Augustine’s Bridge of Lions, you can see the most history-loaded view in Florida: Not only the old city itself, the birthplace of Western civilization in North America,but also the state’s two most historically significant buildings still standing in original appearance and being freely used. The Castillo de San Marcos, the great stone fort the Spanish built,...
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No Respect
The pink grapefruit is a mutant variety that was first discovered and propagated in the Bradenton, Florida, area in 1913. Recently, the historical marker that commemorated the birthplace of the popular fruit was stolen. Via My Florida History.
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Old Salts
Among Florida’s oldest operating military facilities are the U. S. Navy bases in Key West, which was established in 1822, and in Pensacola (1825).
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You Can Go Home Again
Pompano Beach Historian Bud Garner remembers his return to Pompano following his military service in World War II:Upon returning to Pompano in 1946 from three years in the Navy, I got off the train about 6:00 PM on a Friday evening and immediately went to the “Pool Room” even before going home, because I knew I would find friends that I had not seen for the last three years. Sure...
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High Scorer
The Florida high school girls’ single-game scoring record in basketball is held by Chiquita Moore, of Pompano Beach’s Ely High School. During the 1984 season, she scored 63 points as her team thrashed Pompano Beach High School 153-5.
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Funding the Fire Department
During its 1927-1928 fiscal year, the City of Pompano budgeted $7,730 to operate the fire department. Of this amount the largest single line item was $3,550 that was paid to the water department for rental of 71 fire hydrants at $50 each. The only paid fire department employee was the fire chief, who received a salary of $2,400. Other costs were $1,000 to support the volunteer fire fighters,...
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Funding the Police
The City of Pompano budgeted $8,280 for its police department during the 1927-1928 fiscal year. Expenses included:Chief of Police,salary - $2,100 Officers’ salaries (two) - $3,600 Special officers, salaries - $600 Chief’s and officers’ uniforms - $240 Gas and oil - $300 Feeding prisoners - $540 Supplies & misc. expenses - $540 Maintenance of jail and equip. - $360
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No Gas
In June, 1979, a group known as the Florida Independent Truckers Rights Association called a strike which stopped all deliveries of gasoline out of Port Everglades. The entire economy of South Florida was about to be brought to its knees as 1,500 service stations were out of gasoline. Governor Bob Graham declared South Florida to be in a disaster emergency. He called in 1,800 National Guardsmen...
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Claudine Riggs Mullis
Bud Garner sent us the following sad news:Claudine Riggs Mullis, age 81, Beanpicker ‘44, and a lifelong resident of Pompano, died Tuesday July 31 2007. A viewing will be held at Kareer Funeral Home in Pompano Beach on Monday, Aug 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Services will be 1:00 PM in the George Foster Chapel of the Christ Church United Methodist, 210 NE 3rd Street, Pompano Beach, on...
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It Seems Like Yesterday
The Pompano Beach High Class of 1967 will be holding its 40th Reunion on Friday, October 12th, at Galuppi’s Restaurant in Pompano Beach, and on Saturday, October 13th, at the Embassy Suites in Deerfield Beach. The reunion committee has put together a great website that has all the details about the event as well as a lot of information about the class of ‘67. By phone, you may...
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Methodist Move
First United Methodist Church of Pompano Beach (now the Pompano campus of Christ United Methodist Church)was organized around 1910 and met in a church building located near today’s intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and NE 1st Street. This church was heavily damaged in the 1926 hurricane, and the congregation needed to build a new church. The Methodists had already begun construction of a...
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Poitier Funeral Home
The L. C. Poitier Funeral Home is a Pompano Beach business that has been in continuous existence for over fifty years. Located at 317 NW 6th Street, the business was established in 1956 by Llewellyn “L.C.” Poitier (1926 - 1967) and his wife Nellie (1924 - 1992). In 1971, their son, Woodrow J. “Woody” Poitier, took over as the funeral home’s proprietor. This year,...
