Lights, Camera, New River
Long before Where the Boys Are, Hollywood giant D.W. Griffith gave Fort Lauderdale its first taste of the movies. You’ve probably seen some of the films shot in Fort Lauderdale…
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John Dolen
32 posts
Sky Pioneer
Adventuring businessman Joseph C. Mackey’s air travel legacy is still felt today in Fort Lauderdale. Joseph C. Mackey, an early pioneer in aviation and founder of Fort Lauderdale’s first air…
His Name Was Rubin Stacy
A new national memorial includes a tribute to the victim of one of the darkest days in Fort Lauderdale history. * Editor’s note: This column contains descriptions of a lynching.…
The First Party Boat
Long before the first dinner cruise or water taxi, two sons of 19th-century high society arrived on the New River in style, and with friends. River before the turn of…
The Miccosukees’ Men in Havana
As the story goes, when the Miccosukees needed help convincing the Federal government they were a tribe distinct from the Seminoles, they got help from an unlikely source. When the…
When Broward Rocked Before Woodstock
Just over a year before he produced Woodstock, a Coconut Grove head shop owner brought another influential rock festival to Gulfstream Park. History was made in 1969 at the Woodstock…
Modello Behavior
Modello was an early settlement that went on to be a crucial part of the area’s development. Whaddya mean you’ve never heard of it? Fort Lauderdale was named for a…
Under the Sun
Before the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post and Miami Herald, The Tropical Sun brought the news – as well as poetry and some good recipes – to South Florida.…
Old-Time Religion
The area’s first religious gathering places were often humble affairs. But they had a profound effect on the community. The first known church built in Broward County was a lean-to…
At Home With the Bryans
When looking at key times in early Fort Lauderdale history, members of the Bryan family pop up almost everywhere. For those who read a little city history, the name Philemon…