February 2010
19 posts
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It Just Seems Like Gambling
After the State of Florida closed the Pompano Race Track for illegal gambling, soon after its opening in December, 1926, the track owners attempted to get around the prohibition on betting with various complicated schemes. One method was the “corporation system” of wagering, which was described by one South Florida newspaper thusly:Under the corporation system of stock certificates,...
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More Facebook Pages
In addition to the Pompano Beach Historical Society’s Facebook page, the Pompano Beach Green Market now has a Facebook page as does the Sample-McDougald House. Become a fan.
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Happy Birthday
The Miami News assessed the success of the Sunshine State Parkway (today’s Florida Turnpike) on its first birthday:The Miami - Ft. Pierce turnpike ended its first full year of operation with mileage and income records far exceeding original estimates. In fact, business has been so good Turnpike Authority Chairman [Thomas] Manuel says that even without a traffic increase the 40-year bonds...
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Black History Program
The Pompano Beach Northwest Branch Library will hold a special program celebrating Black History Month on Saturday, February 27th, from 2:00 - 3:00 PM. The program will feature presentations on Florida’s accomplished African-Americans. The Northwest Branch Library is located at 1580 NW 3 Avenue, Pompano Beach. For more information call 954 786-2186 (x28 or x29).
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Wouldn't Happen Today
When the Pompano Beach High School Marching Band took part in the 1965 Orange Bowl Parade, band members provided the music for the Schlitz Brewing Company float.
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Purchases, Mergers and Takeovers
During the Great Depression, William Kester purchased the defunct Bank of Pompano and reopening it as the Farmers Bank of Pompano. In the 1970s, it was renamed the Florida Coast Bank and grew to 20 branches, primarily in northern Broward and southern Palm Beach counties. Florida Coast Bank was purchased in 1984, for $75 million by Barnett Bank in a hostile takeover. In 1997, Barnett Bank was...
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Groundbreaking Event
This afternoon, the historic Sample-McDougald House will break ground on the restoration effort’s final phase: site development and landscaping of Centennial Park. Completion of this $1,000,000 project will be made possible by the generous contributions of local contractors and suppliers (over $700,000 pledged, to date) and a $250,000 grant from Broward County’s Safe Park and Land...
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Program Postponed
Due to unexpected scheduling conflicts, the Historical Society’s monthly public program for February will not be held on the third Wednesday (February 17th).
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Clean-up Week
Following the hurricanes of 1947, Pompano Beach Mayor J. C. Bland issued a proclamation designating the first week of November as “Storm Clean-up Week.” Hurricane and flood debris still littered the beach, streets and lots, and Bland called on citizens to help in cleaning up the city in preparation for the upcoming tourist season.
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A Station by the Track
The opening of the Pompano Horse Track in 1926 was followed almost immediately by State orders for its closing, and it was over three decades before horses raced there again. However, before it opened, there was great excitement about the prospects of horse racing in Pompano and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which was in the process of bringing a second railroad to South Florida planned to place...
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Protecting Oysters
In 1913, evidence that commercial over-harvesting of oysters was leading to the disappearance of the oyster beds in Florida led the State Legislature to create the office of shell fish commissioner within the Florida Department of Agriculture. Laws were passed limiting the amount of oysters that could be harvested and established areas and time periods when the oysters could not be taken.
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A New City Hall
In April, 1950, the Pompano Beach City Commission approved a bid of $54,500 bid from Tresca Construction Company of Fort Lauderdale for the building of a new city hall. The new facility included a combination courtroom and commission chambers, police and fire stations, as well as municipal administrative offices. It was located south of Atlantic Boulevard, on the same site as the current Pompano...
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Auditing the Books
The Swamp Land Grant Act of 1850 transferred “swamp and overflow lands” from the federal government to the State of Florida. This property was then used to encourage internal improvements within the state, with much of it being granted to private corporations for new construction of canals and railroads. Following his election in 1900, Florida Governor William S. Jennings authorized a...
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Give Them a Show
As a means to promote its Pompano Beach Highlands housing development, the Mackle Company staged a home show with the impressive title “The Pompano Beach Highlands Exposition of Homes and Industrial Display.” The show opened on ten acres acres of land in the Highlands development off Dixie Highway on October 19, 1958, and included model homes, playgrounds with rides for children, a...
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The Grower's Dream
At a 1945 conference of Florida vegetable growers in West Palm Beach, R. Y. Creach, a large grower in the Belle Glade area, announced that a “mechanical bean picker is being developed that will lift the vines, strip the leaves and pick the beans at a cost of only a few cents a bushel,” and thus greatly reduce or eliminate the need for field laborers. Miami News October 24, 1945
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Counting Counties
When the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821, the new territory was divided into two counties — St Johns and Escambia. The following year, the first territorial legislature established two additional counties, Jackson and Duval. By the time Florida became a state in 1845, there were 25 counties. Today the state contains 67 counties.
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Naming Pompano
An early account of how Pompano got its name:Eighteen years ago the railroad went through to Miami, opening up the whole country as it went and one of our pioneer surveyors, Mr. Franklin Sheen, was kept very busy spying out the land and locating settlers near to the railroad. In his explorations up and down the beach to Miami, he selected Pompano as the leading farming settlement in the whole...
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I-95 Opens
On November 8, 1973, the recently-completed section of I-95 between Palmetto Park Road and Hammondville Road was opened to public access.
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Back to School
From the Miami Daily News, March 1, 1943:Anticipating another killing frost that would complete destruction of crops saved from the last freeze of two weeks ago, Broward county growers were pleasantly surprised to find very little damage was done and that mostly by windburn caused by strong northeast winds of Saturday and the milder but variable winds of Sunday. Four negro schools which have been...
