John Dolen writes for several Fort Lauderdale area publications. Previously, he was an editor and supervisor for 27 years at the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.
In our community issue, we dig into the life of the woman who was a kind of founding mother to our community. At age 19, Ivy Cromartie Stranahan became our…
Fort Lauderdale’s first Jews faced anti‑Semitism, infighting and the 1926 hurricane. They endured. You don’t need to look far to find hostility toward Jews in Fort Lauderdale’s history. The attitude…
The pioneer aviator who gave our airport its first name. Merle Fogg wouldn’t recognize the international airport that began as a swampy municipal airport bearing his name. Tens of millions…
African Americans have a proud and long-established place in the history of our city. Clarence C. Walker. Annie T. Reed. Sylvia Aldridge. Thomas Scott Cobb. Harry Coyne. Recognize any of…
The birth and survival of the Bonnet House. I’m all for art, but would anyone think that building a Guggenheim Museum at Walden Pond is a good idea? How about…
When we did our shopping on Las Olas and Andrews. Before there was The Galleria, Sawgrass Mills and Amazon, the free-standing department store reigned. Fort Lauderdale’s first, the Pioneer Department…
Seminole history includes both tragedy and triumph. Blow, blow Seminole Wind Blow like you’re never gonna blow again I’m calling to you like a long-lost friend… Blow, blow from the…
Bars don’t define our city, but they are an important part of our story. In 1939, Club Brownie’s paid a large advance to a New York promoter to get the…
Built on the fortunes of a Hungarian-born inventor, the Parker Playhouse is still going strong after more than half a century. The city was filled with excitement and hyperbole. “The…
Visiting our historic buildings on foot. In 1912, our fair city suffered a devastating fire that burned the business district to the ground. Fourteen years later, it was hit by…