January 2011
19 posts
We'll Fight No More
During the Civil War, many parts of Florida were a haven for Confederate military deserters. The Miami region was known to be populated by many deserters and settlers with Unionist sentiments.
The west coast of Florida was also a refuge for deserters. In 1864, Florida Governor John Milton informed Confederate military authorities that deserters had organized into armed bands in the coastal...
A Good-bye Gift
Pompano Beach resident Jack Musselman was a member of the Florida Legislature from 1954 to 1958. During that time, he championed the efforts of Frederick Van Lennep to open a pari-mutuel harness racing track in Pompano Beach.
In 1957, Musselman announced that he would not run for re-election as the time spent away from his law practice made serving in the Legislature unaffordable.
In response,...
Broward's Group
The Florida Sheriffs Association traces its origins back to 1893, when Duval County Sheriff Napoleon Boneparte Broward was instrumental in forming the Florida Sheriffs’ Mutual Benefit Association. In 1910 the organization changed its name to its current moniker.
A Shady Proposal
From Howard Kleinberg’s column in the Miami News, January 9, 1963:
The Washington Senators want a roof over the grandstand in their Pompano Beach training camp. Why they need one is beyond me. They’ve been in the cellar so long, you’d think a little sunshine would be welcomed.
Walking Tour of Historic Downtown
This Saturday (January 29th) the Green Market will offer a free historic walking tour of Pompano Beach’s old downtown. Local historians, Don Downie and Bud Garner, will lead participants on an entertaining 30 - 40 minute walk, commenting on the buildings, businesses and people important in the downtown’s development. The tour begins at 10:00 am at the Historical Society booth. Great...
A Quiet Speakeasy
During the Prohibition era, one of the more popular speakeasies in the area was run by Henry and Clara Klein in the old Pinehurst subdivision (located between the Pompano city limits and the beach). Unlike other establishments, the Klein’s bar was a relatively quiet place that catered to a “respectable” crowd.
Cap's Menu
Cap’s Place Island Restaurant in Lighthouse Point is surely Broward County’s oldest restaurant in continuous operation, dating back to 1928. Although always a seafood restaurant, primarily, some of the items on its early menu are no longer available, such as turtle stew and turtle egg pancakes. Hearts of palm salad is still a staple on Cap’s menu, but now the hearts of palm...
Little Horses
One of Pompano Beach’s short-lived tourist attractions was Roger Brown’s World of Miniature Horses, a pseudo farm that displayed miniature and dwarf horses, some as small as 17 inches tall. A small track was used to stage miniature horse races.
The attraction opened in 1982, and was located on NW 31st Avenue, just south of the Florida Turnpike entrance. By 1985, dwindling attendance...
And the Rains Came
Although freezing temperatures was the most recognized threat to Pompano’s winter vegetable crops, local farmers also had to be prepared for other natural disasters, as well.
In September and October, 1933, for instance, heavy rains led to the destruction of up to 75 percent of the first two plantings of beans and peppers in Pompano, as well as in low-lying areas of Deerfield and Oakland...
Leisureville Fairway
Perhaps Pompano Beach’s least known golf course is the Leisureville Fairway, a private nine-hole, par-three course that opened in 1969. It is owned by the Leisureville Community Association and use is restricted to residents of the development.
Promoting Pompano
A newspaper advertisement that ran in the November 18, 1925 edition of the Miami News listed Pompano’s selling points:
Sixteen miles of paved roads
Fine oiled road leading to the Atlantic Ocean beach
The best bathing beach on the East Coast
Good drainage system
Best water on East Coast
Good dairying possibilities
Good stock raising opportunities
A territory that produces more...
Palmer vs. Snead
In 1962, the Pompano Beach Jaycees organized a charity golf tournament at Palm Aire County Club, pitting Sam Snead against Arnold Palmer. Although Palmer was unfamiliar with the course, he still shot a five-under-par 67, beating Snead by a single stroke.
The Jaycees reported selling 2,500 tickets to the event, but it was suspected that the crowd was much larger, due to lax gate security.
Stars in Pompano
Since the 1960s, visiting entertainment and sports celebrities have found Pompano Beach’s Palm Aire development a convenient place to stay when they are in the area.
Over the years, a partial list of high-profile visitors includes: Jayne Mansfield, Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Lewis, Morey Amsterdam, Jack Carter, Henny Youngman, Dick Shawn, Jan Murray, Leslie Caron, Jack Klugman, Deborah Kerr,...
Name Change
Calvary Presbyterian Church, located on Coconut Creek Parkway, was formally established in 1959 with 75 members. It was originally called Community Presbyterian Church, but was soon renamed Margate Presbyterian. In 1960, following developer Robert Bateman’s donation of land in what would become Coconut Creek for a permanent facility, the church adopted its current name.
On this Date - The Ponce Opens
On January 10, 1888, Henry Flagler opened the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, the first of his extensive hotel system along Florida’s east coast.
Since 1968, the Ponce de Leon has been part of Flagler College.
Venison for Dinner
Dr. Thomas Kennedy, considered to be the first medical doctor in what is today Broward County, visited Pompano in the early days (probably before 1906):
On one morning I got off the train at Pompano. At that time the people at Pompano all lived down on what they called the muck, on the canal [actually near today’s Lake Santa Barbara, where the Cypress Creek flowed into the Florida East...
The Seminoles
An undated (but probably early 1930s) publication by the Florida Department of Agriculture describes the Seminole Indians living in Broward County:
These Indians live under primitive conditions here and and elsewhere in the Everglades region. The Seminoles have never acknowledged allegiance to our government and they still maintain their tribal rules, even to the administration of the death...
Butterfly World
Butterfly World, a public attraction and research facility located in Tradewinds Park, was the brainchild of Ronald Boender, a retired electrical engineer with a life-long fascination with butterflies.
In 1987 he approached the Broward County Commission requesting that it approve a 10,000 square foot butterfly facility at the county park in Coconut Creek. Butterfly World opened to the public on...
The New Presbytery
On Sunday, January 13, 1985, Presbyterians from throughout South Florida gathered at Pompano Beach’s First Presbyterian Church to worship and dedicate a new presbytery, the coordinating organization for the churches within its boundaries.
The new presbytery, given the name Presbytery of Tropical Florida, stretched from Fort Pierce to Key West and west to Naples and included 76 existing...
