Old Lauderdale

We are a city whose history was forged in wars with the Seminole Tribe, followed by a peaceful coexistence. Today, that tribe has blossomed into a thriving community that provides…

Of all the strange bits of our history – and we have seen a lot over the years of this column – few top the time that Florida state troopers…

Our island neighbor’s contributions to Fort Lauderdale often fly under the radar, but they add up to a sweet song. My wife and I were talking about the Bahamas recently…

Visionary land developers began South Florida’s boom-and-bust real estate cycles well over a century ago. Things didn’t always go as planned. America’s homespun philosopher Will Rogers put it in a…

It’s no secret that some early Fort Lauderdale historical figures faced adversity. But from hardships came amazing contributions to today’s community. One such scourge on our history came in the…

Second of two parts. In the late 1950s, well over 60 years ago, there was a place called the 4 O’Clock Club in Fort Lauderdale. Comedy legend Woody Woodbury remembers…

If there were such a thing as a Fort Lauderdale Entertainers Hall of Fame, Woody Woodbury would be the top inductee. The star of stage and screen – the stage…

World War II wasn’t fought in Fort Lauderdale – but it got closer than you might think. It was the winter of 1939, and Fort Lauderdale’s merchants and hoteliers had…

You didn’t need Eddie and Liz money to enjoy luxuries like the Yankee Clipper Luau Buffet, a canal home with a sodded lawn, and the comic stylings of Woody Woodbury.…

The actual forts that gave Fort Lauderdale its name – there were three, all named “Fort Lauderdale” – were located in some of today’s most prime real estate. But back…