Definitely an historic landmark in East Hollywood evident by the post declaring the neighborhood as…read morea legit historic area by the Hollywood Historical Society. The area borders Dixie Highway and Sheridan Street. Mostly lower end residential housing with Kings Market at the center of the neighborhood and the Hopes Restaurant is permanently closed. Drove thru the main JA Ely Blvd that connects Stirling Rd to Sheridan St. Construction is in progress. The area is fruitful of pedestrian traffic with a high crime rate and do not recommend it as a tourist attraction at night, although does have historical importance.

While driving through Hollywood I discovered Broward County's newest historic marker which is part…read moreof the Historical Marker Program, one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular and valued public history programs. The markers raise awareness of Florida's cultural history while enhancing the enjoyment of historic sites for residents and tourists. The blue historic markers tell the stories of the people and places that were important to Florida's history and they can be found in front of buildings, schools, forts, roads, archaeological sites, battlefields, cemeteries, churches, and historic districts like this one. Historic marker F-1238 was installed in 2025 by the Hollywood Historical Society and the Florida Department of State. The town of Hollywood-by-the-Sea was designed by Joseph W. Young, Jr. He knew segregation laws would prevent Black workers and potential landowners from helping the city to grow so he purchased land near Dania where there was already an established Black community. In August 1923, he announced the new town of Liberia for African Americans. It was named for the country in Africa that was created for freed slaves that wanted to go back. The Young Company laid roads, ran power and electricity, and built four frame houses. They also donated land for schools, churches, and parks. Black families from other parts of the south, like Georgia and South Carolina, moved to Liberia along with Bahamian immigrants. Liberia and the neighboring Black community in Dania thrived. Liberia became a self-sufficient neighborhood where Black residents built and owned homes, businesses, places of worship, pool halls, and night clubs. This area was home to the sixty-five-time champion Red Bird baseball team at Historic Attucks High School. Eartha Kitt visited Attucks to raise money for the swimming pool. The last all Black class graduated from Attucks in 1968. Other significant community institutions included the Masonic Lodge, the laundromat, King's Grocery owned by Ivan Emmanuel King, Mr. Sears' Grocery, Mr. Harry's Store, Smith's Store, OC Barbershop, Johnny Hill's Barbershop, Ms. Parlor's Beauty Shop, Bryce Davis Funeral Home, West Lawn Cemetery, Tony's Bar, Foxx Bar, Penn's Pool Room, the Paradise Club, and the speakeasy at Robert Mitchell's house used by Black entertainers like the Temptations. Many early settlers, well-known athletes, and entertainers spent time in Liberia. Sam Cooke, as a member of the Soul Stirrers, performed at a local church and James Brown stayed at the home of his aunt. John Evans, Brown's relative had the first telephone in the neighborhood. B.B. King also performed here. Liberia and Dania were welcoming communities for Black entertainers like Cab Calloway who were not able to perform in other areas because of Jim Crow laws. This marker is located in front of the RD Sanders Neighborhood Network Center. The Hollywood Historical Society worked for three years to get this marker installed so that the rich history of this community could be told. It was unveiled on February 15, 2025. Kudos to the Hollywood Historical Society for highlighting Historic Liberia's legacy of resilience, culture, and economic contribution to early Hollywood.

Pearl City is a historic neighborhood just north of downtown Boca Raton. The neighborhood was…read moreplated on May 30, 1915, a decade before Boca Raton was incorporated. The neighborhood was created when Thomas M. Rickards, Henry M. Flagler's agent decided to return to North Carolina and sell his land holdings. Rickards hired his successor George Ashley Long to survey and sell the property. Long created a three block subdivision and began selling lots along the Florida East Coast Railway tracks north of the railroad tracks and it became Pearl City. Alex Hughes was the first person to buy a lot and he became a community leader. Hughes Park in Boca is named in his honor. Other founding family names are the Swansons, Clarks, Johnsons, Alburys, Wrights and Cunninghams. Long went on to become the first mayor of Boca Raton. Eventually the neighborhood spread eight more blocks to the north. Residents of the neighborhood were the blue collar African Americans employed at resorts, farms, and in construction. Many people worked at Butts farm growing green beans or at the Boca Raton Resort once it was built. The last wooden residence in Pearl City is the historic Fountain House at 156 NE Pearl St. It was built in 1929 Alvin and Gladys Fountain. Small wooden houses were once common in the area but now there are very few left. Pearl City was designated a historic district by the decree of the Boca Raton City Council in 2002. At that time the city used 6.2 million dollars they received from Community Development Block Grants from the federal government to improve infra structure in the community. The reason the area was named Pearl City has been lost to time. The prevailing theory behind the name is that it is related to the Hawaii Pearl Pineapple because pineapples were grown in the area and harvested in a shed in the neighborhood. Another theory is that the first baby born in the community was named Pearl. The other two streets in the neighborhood are named after precious gems, Ruby and Sapphire streets. A notable neighborhood landmark is a memorial dedicated to Martin Luther King in front of the Ebeneezer Baptist Church which was organized in 1918.

Watson Circle aka City Hall Circle. A worn bronze plaque is mounted onto a large jagged stone mound…read moreand is dedicated to General Joseph Watson 1904 - 1977. Located between the Hollywood City Hall and the Hollywood Branch Library. A pathway of red brick pavers run from the memorial to a massive steel art sculpture and across from the War Veterans Memorial.

A circle of greenery with dense Monstera plants surrounding a huge Bicentennial Live Oak "Liberty"…read moreTree planted at this Riverwalk spot in 1976. The City of Fort Lauderdale named the tree "Liberty" to honor the fallen victims of the Sept 11th 2001 attack in NYC. Just another historic landmark in the Las Olas area.

I have passed this historic marker many times in the car going from Las Olas to the beach but it is…read morein an awkward place that can only be reached by foot. I was up early this morning heading to the beach and finally got a chance to read what is all about. During the 1920's four finger islands were created by dredging off of present day East Las Olas Boulevard. Charles Green Rhodes dredged the series of peninsulas among the canals between East Las Olas Boulevard and the New River using a concept that had been used in Venice 100 years earlier. Bridges were built out to the islands but the Great Depression got in the way of development and they sat empty until the 1940's when Victor Nurmi purchased them. He had the bridges rebuilt in a Moderne design by the Powell Brothers of Fort Lauderdale. Architectural details of the bridges included pedestals and urns. Marker F-864 was installed in 2015 by Florida Department of Transportation, District 4 and the Florida Department of State to commemorate these historic bridges and finger islands that gave Ft. Lauderdale the nickname Venice of America. Today Isle of Venice, Fiesta Way, Nurmi Drive and Royal Palm Drive are some of the most affluent neighborhoods in Ft. Lauderdale. The 1.200 homes here are sought after by people who love the boating lifestyle

As a history fan it was a delightful surprise to discover this train caboose on display in front of…read morethe Old Schoolhouse. I was here to visit the school and finding this added piece of history outside the window was a nice bonus. The purpose of this 1951 red Seaboard Air Line Caboose was to protect the back of the train. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967 when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. AIr Line does not refer to air travel but instead is a common term for the shortest distance between two points. The railroad operated 4,000 miles of track running from Richmond, Virginia down through Jacksonville and ending in West Palm Beach. Solomon Davies Warfield, chairman of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad at the time, extended the railroad further into South Florida to Miami in 1925 and to Homestead in 1927 where it ended. Solomon Davies Warfield was the uncle of Bessie Wallis Warfield Simpson, the woman whose love affair with King Edward forced him to abdicate the throne. In 2001 the Seaboard Coast Line Caboose 0896 was first gifted to the South Florida Railway Museum but they did not have a place for display and it ended up on a patch of land along Dixie Highway owned by the Dietrich family business, Deerfield Builders Supply. After other sites were ruled out a space adjacent to the old schoolhouse outside of City Hall was prepared in 2002 with a new track. The school house was already on the National Register of Historic Places so this was a great opportunity for the City of Deerfield Beach to preserve even more history. The train caboose has been restored and looks great displayed outside the schoolhouse museum. While I was admiring the caboose a blue jay landed on it. Stop for a moment and take in this railroad history the next time you drive by. The Deerfield Beach Historical Society has a Hang Your Hat on Heritage Tourism podcast episode about the caboose if you would like to learn more about it.

Most cities in Broward County have one main Welcome Sign posted strategically at a major…read moreintersection at the city's border. These posted Town of Davie welcome signs are at EVERY main intersection in Davie. Each brown wooden sign welcomes visitors to Davie and also alerts drivers to be aware of pedestrians, horses and bicyclists.

Took a self guided tour #1 along the Hollywood Blvd Historic Business District and found some…read moreinteresting landmarks. Same pillars out front now painted black instead of the original white color of the entrance to the historic publishing company. The building was built by JW Young in 1925 as a publishing business and the men's Toggery shop was on the 1st floor then converted to a drug store in 1934. Basically modernized years later the outside structure remains the same as the original. I was able to walk into the tiny lobby where there was an elevator leading up to the current businesses CBA Realty and Jumping Jax Tax. Next to the elevator there is a tall mid-century glass display case with porcelain houseware. The bronze marker plaque on the outer wall next to the front door legitimizes the landmark by the Hollywood Historical Society.

A super cute building located in the old district of Hollywood, Miami. The building was built by…read moreJ.W. Young in 1925 as the new home for the Hollywood Land and Water Company's publishing business. The Toggery (yes, I had to look it up, toggery means clothes, togs!, it is an old fashioned word used mainly in the 18th century!) Shop Men's Wear was on the ground floor, east side. In 1934, James Breeding converted the building into a drug store. In 2004, Aron & Zahava Halpern restored the building's 1925 splendor. It is now surrounded by cafes and restaurants, and is a sweet hub for night time dining. Below there is now the restaurant Latin spot called Spice, which is also a dance club.