December 2008
23 posts
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Gifts to Give
The original stained glass windows in the old chapel of Christ Church Pompano (the old First Methodist Church) were installed as memorials to, or gifts from, some of Pompano’s pioneer families, including the McNabs, Whitworths, Colliers, Robertsons, Umsteads and Waltons. However, the chapel’s pipe organ was a gift not from a pioneer family nor even a resident of Pompano. In 1941...
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Dade County Pine
Many of the older homes in Pompano, as well as throughout South Florida, were built with what is known as “Dade County pine.” Dade County pine was a subspecies of the longleaf Southern yellow pine (pinus palustris). When this area was first settled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dade County pine grew in abundance between the ocean and the Everglades, particularly on the...
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The Mercantilists
For most of the twentieth century, if you wanted to find some sort of hardware, chances are it could be found at the Pompano Mercantile Company. And if you were a customer, the odds were good that you would be dealing with a Tarbett. E. E. “Charlie” Tarbett began working at the Pompano Mercantile Company in 1926 and managed the store until his death in 1966. His son, Henry, began...
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You Can Bet on this Day
Pompano’s first horse racing track was closed almost as soon as it opening in 1926 due to the fact that parimutuel racing was illegal in Florida. That impediment was overcome in 1931 when the Florida Legislature passed legislation allowing betting at the tracks. The first track to operate with legal betting on thoroughbreds was Miami’s Tropical Park, on December 26, 1931.
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Merry Christmas
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Twas the Night Before Christmas
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Pump it Up
In March, 1908, Jack Sample described one of his most recent home improvements:We have a pump on the back porch. It took me just forty-five minutes from the time I started until I was pumping water. It was no trouble to get water. Just drive a pipe in the ground about twenty-five feet, put a pump on top and go to pumping water.Quote from “The Sample Letters: A Journey into the Past,”...
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Empty Road
Back in the late 1930s, one could drive on Federal Highway for miles and not see another automobile or pass a building. In Pompano there were a few businesses on Federal Highway near today’s Atlantic Boulevard — a couple gas stations, a restaurant and some tourist cabins — owned by the McNab family. Traveling north, the next building was the Chapman packing house, located about...
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On This Day
On December 19, 1971, the strike between the Florida East Coast Railway and its unions ended with a settlement in Federal court. The strike began on January 23, 1963, and resulted in the end of passenger service on the FEC.
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Barefoot Boys
Bud Garner remembers growing up in Pompano when shoes were optional:My friend, Carl Mueller never wore a pair of shoes from first grade through high school until he joined the Army in WW II. The bottoms of his feet were as tough as “whet” leather.
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Santa Visits Pompano
One of the most eagerly awaited events in old Pompano was the annual visit from Santa Claus. In this case, Santa’s mode of transportation was not a reindeer-pulled sleigh, but rather Pompano’s 1926 fire truck. Santa made two stops in Pompano — one on the east side, and one on the west side of the tracks. The routine was invariably the same: children and parents would gather at a...
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Municipal Renters
During the 1930s and well into the 1940s, the City of Pompano’s city hall was located in rented space in a building at 100 SW 1st Avenue. This building was owned by the Masonic Lodge, which met on the second floor, and also housed the Post Office. The building was demolished recently to make way for a new library facility.
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Labor Unrest
It didn’t involve the Teamsters or the UAW, but in March of 1947, Pompano experienced what might be called a strike. Certainly that’s what management termed it. It all began when a substitute teacher at Pompano High School announced that the class would be taking a test. Apparently the substitute ignored the students when they protested that they had not previously reviewed the...
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Mobile Marriage
William H. Shuford came to Pompano from Georgia in the late 1910s and served four terms as the town’s mayor in the 1920s and early 1930s. Prior to leaving Georgia, Shuford married Ida Edenfield in an unusual ceremony. The bride and groom sat in an automobile while the preacher performed the service standing on the car’s running board.
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Holiday Open House
The Historical Society will host its annual Holiday Open House on Wednesday, December 17th from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM and invites everyone to join, fellow members and friends for a casual evening of seasonal refreshments, tours of the Kester Cottages and updates on 2008 accomplishments and activities planned for the coming year. The Holiday Open House is will take place at the Dick & Miriam Hood...
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You Can Bet on It
The modern incarnation of horse racing in Pompano Beach was made possible by a bill passed by the Florida Legislature in 1963 allowing the transfer of the Key West dog track’s parimutuel license to the Pompano Beach facility.
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Visiting Preachers
During Pompano’s early years, the small local population could not support more than a couple churches — most residents were (or became) Methodists or Baptists. Every now and then a visiting minister would come through town and add a bit of variety to the religious services:Rev. Allison and son of [C]harlotte, N. C., came down to spend the winter. Rev. Allison is a Presbyterian...
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The Sticks
In 1907, John M. “Jack” Sample arrived in the Pompano area to begin developing a pineapple and vegetable farm. On June 4th, he wrote to his future wife about the area:I left Ft. Pierce [yesterday] and have now gotten to the sticks where my future shack will be built. I had a nice time in Ft. Pierce and only wish I were going to stay there instead of here. There is nothing at all here...
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A Short Hop
In 1957, Cubana Airlines offered daily flights to Havana from Miami for as little as $36.00, round trip.
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Rabbi Morris Skop
Pompano Beach’s Temple Sholom traces its begin inning to 1945, but it took over two decades before it found a rabbi who provided the spiritual and institutional leadership the congregation was looking for: Until the mid-1960s Temple Sholom had hired two rabbis, each of which had brief tenures. In the interim religious services were led by members. Services for special observances and high...
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The Tour Comes to Pompano
In February, 1973, the Pompano Beach municipal golf course hosted the Ladies Professional Golf Association [LPGA] Pompano Beach Golf Classic. The event was won by Sandra Palmer. Palmer played on the LPGA tour from 1964 to 1997, winning 19 tournaments and was named LPGA player of the year in 1975.
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The Close Down
During the 1970s and 1980s, much of Broward County’s population growth occurred in the newer developments of its western municipalities, with a resulting decline in student population in eastern cities such as Pompano Beach. Also, the legacy of segregation meant that there were often multiple high schools serving the local community. In Pompano Beach both the former African-American school,...
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"Under a Genial Winter Sun"
In the mid-1890s, southern Florida was about to be connected to the rest of the nation by rail, but just before that momentous event a journey down the peninsula brought the traveler to a different world. Northern Florida does not differ materially in its vegetation, topography, or people from portions of South Carolina and Georgia. Central Florida is more interesting, particularly on what is...