Christmas in Downtown Miami, 1953

A half-century ago, shoppers flocked to Burdines in downtown Miami, the biggest and best department store in the region. Throughout the 1950s, to get everyone in the holiday mood, Burdines annually lit a huge neon Santa between its two buildings. It worked--old timers still fondly remember seeing the Burdines Santa. This December 15, 1953, view of the sign looks south on Miami Avenue.

Credit: Miami News Collection, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 1989-011-23202.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Halloween in Pahokee

This snapshot shows us children dressed for a 1943 Halloween party at Pahokee, Florida. From right: a monkey and his organ grinder, a girl who has raided her mother’s closet, a store-bought skeleton, and a mysterious costume—what is the boy on the left impersonating?

Interama

As I write this, our exhibits designer and preparations staff are at the Kovens Center, located at the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, to install the traveling version of Interama: Miami and the Pan-American Dream. The exhibition going up there is only natural, as BBC was part of the Graves Tract that the state of Florida purchased to house the permanent World’s Fair that never was. In a sense, the university’s campus is all that ever came of Interama. It was originally to be called “Interama University,” but was eventually combined with FIU when the creation of that institution was imminent. In fact, the only building that was ever built by the Inter-American Center Authority now houses the internationally-renowned hospitality management program.

In a sense, this coming together is very personal for me in a number of ways. I graduated from FIU twice, and both times I was at the Biscayne Bay Campus. I took a large portion of my undergraduate classes there, then worked at BBC as a teacher’s assistant while working on my master’s degree. Panther Square and the Wolfe University Center were the hub of my social life, and BBC became my second home.

In addition, when the Interama exhibition went up, I was still an educator, though I had started helping to digitize the archaeological collection thanks to an IMLS grant. I assisted with the final touches in my budding role as a curator, making it the first exhibit I ever worked on, and then gave the first tours to the general public in my role as a museum educator. Now, I am one of two persons working on launching a formal traveling exhibitions program, which could include this slightly scaled-down version of Interama.

If you want to see the exhibit, call 305-919-5700 for more information.

-- Robert Harkins, Assistant Curator - Object Collections

Summer with the Teachers

Time literally flies when you are having fun. It’s hard to believe that what felt like an endless 11 week summer … is nearly over! We have had our last week of camp, our last week of working on our teaching collection inventory, and our last week of curriculum re-writes for fall programs.

The summer is over … and we got the first taste of that when our new school program brochures were delivered last week. It was hard to believe when I saw the 2009-2010 written on the front cover!

So where did our summer go?

In Summer Camp we went around the world, from Mariachis to Junkanoo bands. Unlike any other museum in our community, we ran camp for the full 11 week Miami-Dade Public School summer season.

A small team of museum educators scoured over our teaching collection, took a critical inventory and started entering everything into a database.

We overhauled our school programs through the lenses of “Understanding by Design,” a planning and teaching method which allows the educator to think big and narrow down in layers. So yes, we’ve been buzzing on the mezzanine level, a.k.a. Education … and tweeting on Twitter about it all summer long.

-- Cecelia D. Slesnick, Vice President, Education

Burned Cross in Black Crossroads

As a history museum, we’re charged with finding the visual images and objects that tell the story or piece of history presented in an exhibition. This can be a challenge since more history has been captured in text than in actual photographs, and objects are often junked before their historical importance is realized. This was not the case with burned cross above, one of the signature objects on display in the museum’s Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora in Miami exhibition.

The cross is part of the collection of the Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida. Its charred frame sits at the entrance to the Struggles section of the exhibition – the area that explores blacks’ century-long struggle for equality in Miami. It was burned on the lawn of Hazel Howard in 1982. Howard was an African American woman who had just moved into a new home in North Miami.

As telling as that story is about the prevalence of racial prejudice in Miami, how this piece of history got saved also deserves telling. The Community Relations Board (CRB), an inter-racial group created by county in 1963 “to solve hardcore social problems and economic distresses” collected the cross from Howard’s lawn after the incident and attempted to investigate the event. Members of the CRB at the time included community activist Bob Simms, who recalls that they then kept the cross in their offices as visual symbol of the past.

Eventually the board donated the cross to the Black Archives, saving it from historical extinction and enabling future generations to also experience its significance. And experience it they do – visitors to the exhibition are compelled towards it and have reported back to us the powerful connection they make to it. The charred 10-foot cross speaks volumes, makes the past real in a way no text can. All thanks to the CRB who saw that an object of history, no matter how painful, has something to teach all of us.

-- Joanne Hyppolite, Ph.D. Chief Curator.

Apollo 11

On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission blasted off from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Neil Armstrong, “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins ventured through space to the moon. On July 20, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step out onto the moon’s surface, followed shortly thereafter by “Buzz” Aldrin. The astronauts safely returned to earth on July 24, the mission a success.

This pass came into HMSF’s collection in 1989, a gift of Marie Oscar. Individuals invited to watch the launch of the mission were issued one of these official guest passes. Even though Kennedy Space Center is over two hundred miles from Miami, Dade County residents were still able to see the orange streak in the morning sky created by the Saturn V rocket as it pushed the spacecraft into orbit, though the view was certainly much better for those “official guests.”

As a space geek, I would like to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 by reminding everybody that it was “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

-- Robert Harkins, Assistant Curator – Object Collections

1989.031.001

Pan Am Captains Martin & Martin

When Frank Carroll Martin renewed his membership, he chose the new category of Senior. This level requires a birth date to prove that the member is 65 years of age or older, so I called Mr. Martin to record his date of birth, which did not appear on his application.

As I spoke to Mr. Martin, I noticed airplane pictured on the check he had enclosed with his renewal. Curious, I asked him if he had been a pilot. Frank said that he had been a Pan Am Clipper skipper and that his father, Frank Crawford Martin, had been an original China Clipper pilot.

I invited Frank to come to the museum to see some of the Pan Am Collection and to have lunch with the President/CEO Bob McCammon. During lunch, his father’s extensive flights during World War II brought forth many tales about Miami’s place in aeronautical history. Frank informed us that the majority of the soldiers captured from Rommel’s Africa Corps were housed as POWs in South Dade. He told us that the St. Sebastian Apartments in Coral Gables were used as barracks for Royal Air Force student pilots and navigators who were trained almost exclusively in Miami due to its advanced aeronautical facilities. One particularly interesting story relayed was that near the end of the war, his dad piloted the then Prince Feisal of Saudi Arabia to America for his first visit and, true to the “it’s small world” axiom, Bob’s father had flown the prince on the second leg of this same journey in California.

Frank Carroll Martin served as a Pan Am captain for more than fifteen years. He is currently the Area Coordinator for the Blue and Gold Program of the United States Naval Academy, in which he and his associates identify and mentor fine young men and women to become Midshipmen.

Frank is proud of Miami’s place in aeronautical history and the accomplishments of his father that changed the lives and history of the African American community in South Florida. The rewards of Frank Crawford’s labor are still being reaped today; the work of Frank Carroll will be seen tomorrow in the lives of young officers that will serve our nation with distinction.

Captains, the Historical Museum salutes you both!

-- Hilda Masip, Membership Officer

Top picture: Pan Am China Clipper, ca. 1935. HMSF, 1992-233-11.
Bottom photo: Frank Crawford Martin. Courtesy of Frank Carroll Martin.

Independence Day

Sometime around 1905, someone sent this patriotic postcard to Ralph Munroe in Coconut Grove. Happy flag-waving Fourth!

Image no. 1994-624-6

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Haden Mangos

In 1889 the USDA planted three mango trees from India in West Palm Beach. One of them survived the 1895 freeze and, three years later, bore tasty fruit. South Florida horticulturalists were delighted. One of them, Captain Haden of Coconut Grove, bought 30 seeds and planted them. In 1910 an accidental cross between one of those trees and a turpentine mango bore fruit. Florence Haden named the new, surprisingly improved variety after her husband, and, as they say, the rest is history. South Floridians are still growing and eating Haden mangos.

Here is Florence Hayden’s 1912 recipe for mango chutney:

“Ten large fine mangoes, one-half pint seeded raisins, one-half pint lime juice, one-half pint vinegar, two chili peppers, two garlic buttons grated, one medium-sized onion, one tablespoonful white mustard seed, one tablespoonful ground ginger, one heaping tablespoonful of salt, one and one-half pounds brown sugar. Pare and cut mangoes in small pieces. Put all ingredients in a crock or bowl. Let it stand covered over night, and cook it very slowly next morning for three hours. Put in glass jars or bottles, and seal at once.”

Postcard: “Haden Mangoes on Tropical Treasures Grove, Fort Myers, Florida.” ca. 1940. Image no. 1979-011-235.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

97-Year Old Mango Recipes

In 1912 the women of the First Presbyterian Church compiled and published a book—Miami’s first locally produced cookbook. Browsing through The Florida Tropical Cookbook, one discovers that Miamians of a century ago grew and ate mangos, especially in desserts and preserves. Here are a few of their recipes:

“Mango Dumplings. In any recipe where peaches or apples are to be used, substitute ripe mangoes.

“Fried Mangoes. Select mangoes that are not ripe enough to be stringy, peel and slice thin; put tablespoonful butter in frying pan, heat and add mangoes; add sugar, and nutmeg and cinnamon; cover and cook slowly so as not to burn.

“Green Mango Pie. This is equal to rhubarb pie and is so similar to it that many persons mistake the mango pie for it. Peel and slice the green mangoes. Line the pan with good paste and put the fruit into it. Sprinkle with sugar and flour and add a tablespoonful of water.

“Ripe Mango Pie. Peel and slice ripe fruit and proceed as above, using less sugar.

“Mango Ice Cream. Prepare mangoes as for marmalade—about half a dozen for two-quart freezer. Use any good ice cream recipe, and freeze as fruit cream.

“Mango Marmalade. Peel well ripe mangoes and grate on a coarse grater; strain through a copper sieve to take out fiber; boil with a little less than equal part sugar until stiff.

“Canned Mangoes. Peel the fruit and cut into neat slices, cutting from stem end. Put in boiling syrup, boil ten minutes, and place in well sterilized jars and seal at once. Make a syrup by using one cupful of sugar and one cupful of water. Do not attempt to cook a large quantity at one time or the slices will break up.

“Mango Jelly. For jelly the green fruit is used. Peel and cook the green fruit. Strain and to each cupful of boiling juice, add one cupful of sugar. Boil until jelly forms when the juice is dropped from a spoon.

“Mango Sweet Pickle. Choose nice, firm mangoes; pare and slice them. To every quart of fruit, allow a cupful of white sugar and a large pint of good vinegar, adding just enough whole cloves to flavor as you like; too many will turn the fruit dark. Let it come to a boil and put in the mangoes and cook until they are thoroughly heated. Too much cooking will make them mushy. Put into jars and seal while hot.

“Mango Chutney. Five pounds of the fruit after it is peeled and cut off the seed, two pounds sugar, two quarts vinegar. Cook until smooth and thick, stirring to keep from burning. When it is thick enough to drop from spoon, take off the fire. Add two pounds seeded raisins, two ounces ground mustard, two ounces ground ginger, four ounces salt, one-quarter small teaspoonful of ground cayenne pepper. Mix, let stand till next day, stirring often. Then reheat and pack in small glass jars and seal. Fine with meat, or for sandwiches.

“East India Mango Chutney. Five pounds of ripe mangoes, or tart apples, two pounds brown sugar, two quarts cider vinegar. Cook this until smooth and thick. Take up and add one pound Sultana raisins (chopped), one clove of garlic (if liked), two ounces ground mustard seed, two ounces ginger root, four ounces salt, three pods red pepper (chopped). Mix, let stand eight hours. Stir thoroughly. Heat this through; pack in small jars, and seal. Use for cold meats or for sandwiches. Will keep years in a cool place.”

Whew! These recipes sure give a modern cook plenty of guess work!

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Illustration: from a 19th century lithograph.
Image no. 1995-293-1

Royal Poincianas

It’s June in Miami. Roadside vendors offer tasty mangos and lychees, and that most glorious of trees, the Royal Poinciana, is in bloom. Someone introduced the Poinciana, a native of Madagascar, to South Florida more than a century ago.

In 1894, Palm Beach’s first grand hotel opened—the Royal Poinciana. Back then, tourist season only lasted from the beginning of January to the end of February, so guests never saw the hotel’s namesake in bloom. We who live here, however, admire them throughout South Florida’s cities and suburbs.

In 1916, Charles Torrey Simpson admitted that “I said when I first saw one of these trees in bloom that I was willing to endure the torment of mosquitoes, sand burs [sic], land crabs and all the pests and vermin of Florida in order that I might live in a land where the royal Poinciana flaunted its splendid blossoms to the sky.”

Many South Floridians agree.

Top postcard: “Poinciana Tree, Miami, Fla.” Miami: J. N. Chamberlain, ca. 1915. Image no. 1984-100-17.

Bottom postcard: “Royal Poinciana Hotel, Palm Beach, Fla.” Milwaukee: E. O. Kropp, ca. 1905. Image no. 1990-258-1.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Mosquito Season

The rainy season has finally arrived, and with it have come the mosquitoes. While Gray Kingbirds feast, South Floridians try not to be bitten. In pioneer days that meant wrapping newspapers around one’s limbs and keeping close to a smoking smudge pot. Nowadays we use bug spray or retreat indoors (the museum’s indoors and air-conditioned, and it’s a good time to visit). Meanwhile, consider the mosquito’s place in history.

A previous blog entry, “An Epidemic Stampede,” described late 19th century Yellow Fever epidemics. The 1888 railroad car panic in that entry’s illustration resulted from ignorance—no one in Florida knew how Yellow Fever was transmitted, so it seemed best to stay well away from the sick. Seven years earlier, though, Cuban physician Carlos Finlay had identified the pesky mosquito as the culprit. His hypothesis languished for nearly two decades, until Dr. Walter Reed and other doctors were called to Panama to find out why so many canal workers were catching Yellow Fever. Dr. Reed confirmed and publicized Finlay’s hunch—to control Yellow Fever, control the mosquitoes.

So, South Floridians, empty the standing water from the flower pots in your gardens (where mosquitoes breed), and use bug repellant and mosquito nets when you venture into their territory. Just don’t expect Mosquito Control to kill them all—they were here first.

This picture: “The Male Musquito.” [sic] In Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. 1859. Image 2007-260-1

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research materials

Slow Boat to Stiltsville

Saturday morning was a perfect day to take a boat ride. A group of people gathered on the dock at Bayside waiting to embark on Dr. George’s boat tour. On this tour they would see not only Key Biscayne and the Cape Florida Lighthouse, but also the community of houses set on stilts in the middle of the beautiful waters of Biscayne Bay that came to be known as Stiltsville. With the breathtaking views and the beautiful weather, Dr. George did not disappoint.

Stiltsville’s first structure was built in the early 1930s. The current community is comprised of seven homes. In its heyday, there were up to 25 structures present in the bay’s waters. Begun as a hangout for local fishermen, it has transformed into a well-known part of Miami’s skyline.

This tour was a great opportunity to sit back, relax and learn about a hidden gem of South Florida’s history!

Views from the Stiltsville, Cape Florida Lighthouse and Key Biscayne Boat Tour

This view: Stiltsville, ca. 1980. Miami News Collection, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 1989-011-15650.

-- Molli Songco, Assistant Curator of Exhibits

An Epidemic Stampede

Recent news, filled with fears of a pandemic, brings to mind earlier epidemics. Settlements in hot and humid Florida, for example, endured a number of Yellow Fever outbreaks until about a century ago.

In this 1888 illustration, a woman on a train has fallen ill. Her terrified fellow passengers, believing her contagious, are stampeding out of the railway car. Yellow Fever had broken out in Jacksonville in July, and most of the city’s inhabitants fled, fearing for their lives. Of the nearly 14,000 who remained, confined by a quarantine, 4,700 sickened and 430 died before the epidemic ended with the arrival of cold weather in November.

A few years later, Miami also endured a Yellow Fever epidemic. For three months the tiny, new city was quarantined. Of the less than 2,000 residents, more than 200 people fell ill and 14 died. The crises passed with the arrival of cool weather in January 1900.

Returning to this picture, I wonder. Has the woman caught Yellow Fever or has she fainted from a too-tight corset?

“Scene on a Refugee Railway Train in Florida—a Case of Yellow Fever: the Stampede,” from a sketch by James Mott. In Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, September 28, 1888. Image 2005-271-1.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Tropees Tour Versace Mansion

It was an afternoon of high fashion and high fun on Saturday, April 18th, as the Tropees, our young professional members, enjoyed an exclusive tour of the landmark Versace Mansion on Miami Beach’s famed Ocean Drive. Guests enjoyed champagne and mimosas while being swept away in the lavish oasis, formerly home to couture fashion designer Gianni Versace—now the swanky Casa Casuarina, a members-only private club and luxury boutique hotel.

In 1930 the mansion was financed by architect, philanthropist, author and political reformer Alden Freeman, designed by by Henry LaPointe and built by Hubbell & Hubbell, as homage to the oldest existing house in the western hemisphere, the "Alcazar de Colon" in Santo Domingo. In 1992, on a trip to Miami, world-renowned Gianni Versace encountered Casa Casuarina for the first time, and, although it had fallen into great disrepair, he purchased the mansion. Versace restored the property and made significant changes to propel Casa Casuarina to international fame.

It was an exciting opportunity to learn more about the history of such an incredible landmark!

Pictures of Tropees at Casa Casuarina

— Kara Sincich, External Relations Coordinator

The Hampton House

The Hampton House was a popular motel and social hub for African-Americans during the 1950s and 1960s. Wedding receptions and beauty contests enlivened the motel's pool deck, and night after night locals and out-of-towners packed the club, enjoying great music and good company.

Did you know that Muhammad Ali, in town for his epic bout with Sonny Liston, stayed at the Hampton House? Dr. Martin Luther King, in Miami to meet with civil rights organizers, held press conferences at the hotel ... and found time for a dip in the pool. In addition, a slew of famous musicians including Sammy Davis, Cab Calloway and James Brown visited the Hampton House.

This 1967 photograph from the City of Miami Collection shows beauty contest contestants arriving for a stay at the Hampton House.

As society integrated, the Hampton House faded and by the mid-1970s the motel closed.

Now the Hampton House is coming back to life. The hotel is being restored as a museum and music archive. Find out more here: Hampton House video from Miami-Dade TV.

Historic photos of the Hampton House are currently on display at the Historical Museum’s Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora in Miami exhibition.

-- Kara Sincich, External Relations Coordinator

Which “One Way”?

This picture ran in the Miami News on March 19, 1969. It is now a part of the Miami News Collection in the Research Center at the Historical Museum.

It depicts a confusing situation at NE 15th Street & 2nd Avenue in downtown Miami. Two “One Way” signs show 15th Street as being only one way, but in opposite directions. Apparently the newspaper’s efforts were rewarded, as one of the signs was replaced the day the story ran.

In answer to your unasked question, Miami drivers, “Yes, it was always this bad.”

-- Robert Harkins, Assistant Curator – Object Collections

The House of Shells

I stumbled upon this gem while refiling postcards. Apparently inspired by the Bottle Cap Inn, someone covered the exterior of this shop with sea shells, dubbed it The House of Shells, and opened for business selling curios and, presumably, souvenir shells.

The building is encrusted with abalones; Queen, King and Horse Conchs; tritons and murexes—no wonder these once common snails have become so scarce!

The House of Shells is listed in Miami city directories from 1941 to 1947, after which we can assume it went out of business. This short life can probably be attributed to its location, 1299 SW 32nd Avenue, far from the tourists who should have been its best customers and across the street from a cemetery (Woodlawn Park).

The Bottle Cap Inn, covered inside and out with—you guessed it—bottle caps, lasted much longer. But that is another postcard and another story.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Jimmy's Hurricane

It’s amazing what a lost membership card can start!

Long time HMSF member Sara Ellenburg called to request a new membership card to replace a lost one. While speaking with her, I learned a fascinating story. On a recent visit to the museum Sara had seen a diner replica in the permanent exhibit, Tropical Dreams. She informed me that the diner in the photomural had belonged to her and her husband, Jimmy, who appears in the photo's background. The diner was Jimmy’s Hurricane Restaurant.

Within a few days, Sara donated menus and promotional coupons from Jimmy’s to the museum’s Research Center. She returned to the museum once again at the invitation of President/CEO Bob McCammon. They shared a lovely lunch, and those present heard many recollections about Jimmy, old Miami and how things have changed. Following the lunch Mr. McCammon’s wife, Karen Corlett-McCammon, told him that her family traditionally ate at Jimmy’s Hurricane on the way home from visiting her grandparents in Miami Beach.

Jimmy’s Hurricane Restaurant operated on the corner of Bird and Douglas Roads. Their specialty was Snapper Fingers. The Shrimp Creole, with generous sides, was listed on their menu for $1.49. Sounds like quite a bargain today! Jimmy’s Hurricane had an extensive drive-in area and an indoor dining counter. Jimmy and Sara Ellenburg presided over this Miami establishment from November 1950 to June 6, 1966.

Sara Ellenburg is someone who not only loves and supports history, but she has made her own. Meeting Sara made us very glad that she lost her membership card!

-- Hilda Masip, Membership & Data Officer

I Introduce our Blog

Look at a map of North America. South Florida stretches south, like the toe of the United States, into the Caribbean area.

This geographic proximity has made South Florida a part of the Caribbean, with Miami as the unofficial capital. From here, tourists fly or cruise east to the Bahamas and south to vacations on idyllic islands or the Caribbean slopes of Central and South America. The residents of these places come here, for their own vacations, shopping, visits to doctors and work. Visit the malls, ride MetroRail and walk the streets of Miami, Miami Beach or Key West and you will hear English, Spanish, Creole and French, in 50 different accents.

When I first visited St. Martin, many years ago, I was stunned by its main street’s similarity to Flagler Street. Downtown Miami’s little shops selling electronics, suitcases, jewelry, fabrics and clothing feel Caribbean—after all, their biggest customers are islanders. I can walk out of the museum at lunch and dine at a Cuban greasy-spoon, a Nicaraguan steak house or at an Asian lunch counter that caters to homesick cruise ship employees.

To work in a history museum in the midst of this panoply of cultures is to be constantly challenged. What shall we collect? What artifacts and photographs best capture the essence of this complex place and time? How shall we create exhibitions that catch the attention of our fragmented audiences, helping them to understand this region and their relationship to it and each other? Publications? Events? Tours? Lectures? Fund-raising? Everything we do reflects this Caribbean-American milieu.

In this blog, museum staff will share their stories about South Florida and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Join us on this wild adventure.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials