Lemon City is an unincorporated area that predates Miami. It was a farming community that sprang up…read morein the 1850's, 26 years before the founding of Miami. The community took their name from the unusually sweet lemon trees that grew in the area. By the time Miami was incorporated, Lemon City already had a population of 300. Lemon City had the areas oldest school, the Lemon City School, and the first library, the Lemon City Library. Lemon City was segregated with Black families living in three neighborhoods, Nazarine, Boles Town, and Knightsville. The exact boundaries of Lemon City have been lost to time since it was never incorporated. During the 1980's many Haitian immigrants made what was once Lemon City their home. The area has now been designated as Little Haiti which upset some of the descendants of the pioneers of Lemon City who thought the name change was insulting to their history. To be more inclusive of all of the history of the area, 10 historical signs marking the history of Lemon City were erected by the Mayor's office. Markers were placed at the Lemon City Train Station, Lemon City Pharmacy, Lemon City Library, and here at the Lemon City Post Office. Marker F-945 installed in 2017 details the history of the Lemon City Post Office. The Lemon City post office opened on October 1, 1889. It was located in a corner of Moffat's bayside store and E.L. White served as the first postmaster. Mail came into Lemon City from the port or by train before being sent south. In 1891 the post office broke with the Moffat family and moved from location to location. It finally got a permanent location in 1905 in its own building. During the years the post office was open, it moved nine times and had twelve postmasters. The post office became part of the Miami postal system in 1925. In 1974, it ceased operation. I am watching with anticipation to see what is going to happen in Little Haiti. You can already see the spark with new businesses opening like the Citadel Food Hall in the Little River area. I had heard of Lemon City in passing when bones were discovered in an unmarked cemetery during construction of an affordable housing unit. I always meant to learn more about this historic area but never had the time. I finally got to explore this area and was really delighted to find all of the historical markers. It was like a scavenger hunt discovering them and learning another piece of Lemon City's history. Although the post office is no longer here, there is a huge MAGIC sign set up heralding what will hopefully be good things to come for this area. I am excited to see the next chapter of history unfold here.

Apart from this actual sign to state what this area used to be, there is not a lot to see, rather…read morethan just a general feel for this part of Miami. Here is the history - Boles Town was named after a black man, Elijah Boles who came from Lake City with his wife Rosa. Boles Town was near or just west of present-day Miami Avenue at about Fifty-Seventh Street. Before 1915 there was no road access to Boles Town other than sand roads through pine trees. Boles bought the property and built a number of shacks along a single street and ran a small store. The rents and store profits made him the most affluent black in Lemon City.

As a fan of architecture and history I was delighted to spot this historic marker in the North…read moreShore neighborhood in Miami Beach. Stopping for a minute to read a historic marker is a great way to learn more about the history of an area. I have gained so much knowledge about Florida from these blue historical markers that can you find all around the state. This marker is on a median next to Tatum Park and it recounts the history of the mid century North Shore neighborhood. The North Shore Historic District in North Beach, Miami Beach is famous for having the most intact mid-20th century resort architecture (MiMo) in the Greater Miami area. The neighborhood was platted in 1929 and is bounded by 87th Street, Collins Avenue, 73rd Street, and Hawthorne Avenue. After WWII many GI's moved to Florida where the warmer weather was beneficial for helping to recover from their war wounds. A post WWII construction boom saw the creation narrow garden apartments with features designed to adapt to Miami. These architectural details included patios, loggias, flat roofs with broad overhanging eaves, exterior staircases, and catwalks. The architecture in the district is primarily Miami Modernism MiMo style featuring futuristic and modern elements, unique to Miami. Design features include acute angles, delta wings, pipe columns, sweeping curved walls, and soaring pylons. Other architectural styles reflected in the district, include Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, and Moderne. The North Shore Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Marker F-1090 was erected in 2020 by The City of Miami Beach and the Florida Department of State.

Some more history for you history buffs. Magic City, Aka this area, is getting a makeover people!…read moreThis building is derelict, but does have some history attached to it - It is the old DuPuis Medical Office and Drugstore, it was built is 1902 and is located at 6041-6045 NE 2nd Avenue, miami. Dr. John G. DuPuis constructed his medical office and drug store in the rural community of Lemon City four years after he arrived in South Florida. One of the region's most noted early physicians and community leaders, DuPuis founded the Dade County Agricultural School and established what would become one of the area's largest dairies. This traditional Masonry Vernacular style building features pressed metal detailing typical of turn-of-the-twentieth-century American commercial architecture.

Lemon City is an unincorporated area that predates Miami. It was a farming community that sprang up…read morein the 1850's, 26 years before the founding of Miami. The community took their name from the unusually sweet lemon trees that grew in the area. By the time Miami was incorporated Lemon City already had a population of 300. Lemon City had the areas oldest school, the Lemon City School, and the first library, the Lemon City Library. Lemon City was segregated with Black families living in three neighborhoods, Nazarine, Boles Town, and Knightsville. The exact boundaries of Lemon City have been lost to time since it was never incorporated. During the 1980's many Haitian immigrants made what was once Lemon City their home. The area has now been designated as Little Haiti which upset some of the descendants of the pioneers of Lemon City who thought the name change was insulting to their history. To be more inclusive of all of the history of the area, 10 historical signs marking the history of Lemon City were erected by the Mayor's office. Markers were placed at the Lemon City Train Station, Lemon City Port, Lemon City Library, and here at the Lemon City Pharmacy. Dr. John Gordon DuPuis was born in Newnansville Florida in 1875. He graduated from medical school at the University of Kentucky in 1898 and then moved to Lemon City where he began his practice and pharmacy in a one room building behind the Conolly Hotel. The Lemon City Pharmacy Dupuis Office was built in 1902, four years after he arrived in South Florida. It was the first concrete building north of downtown Miami and served as Dr. DuPuis medical practice and pharmacy and his families residence. The pharmacy was designed in a Masonry Vernacular style. The building features pressed metal detailing and the type of commercial architecture that was popular at the turn of the century. Dr. DuPuis was one of the first doctors in the area and a community leader. He treated the sick during a yellow fever outbreak in 1899 and counted the Seminoles and among his patients who held him in high regard. Dr. DuPuis was a white doctor who made house calls to Black families in the area, which was unusual for the time. Based on his belief that fresh milk was necessary for good health, he established what would become one of the area's largest dairies. White Belt Dairy consisted of 900 cows over 2,000 acres and was managed by Dr. DuPuis wife Katherine and his son John. Dr. DuPuis was also passionate about education. He founded the Dade Agricultural School in 1915 which focused on vocational training with a stress on agriculture. In 1925 Dr. DuPuis family moved out of the building and he continued his practice there until he passed away in 1955. The Dr. DuPuis medical building is currently in pretty sad shape. It was on the Dade Heritage Trust list of 12 most historic endangered buildings in 2018 however there may be hope for it because big plans are in the works for this area. The Miami City Commission are considering a billion-dollar real estate project in Little Haiti called the Magic City Innovation District, It is expected to take 10 to 15 years to complete and will turn Little Haiti area into an international draw for tourists and businesses. Spread out over 17 acres it will include residential units, hotel rooms, retail space, and a pop-up theme park with multimedia and interactive installations, designed by Lune Rouge, the Montreal-based company owned by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté. Best of all the developers want to preserve the historic aspects of this neighborhood. The DuPuis Medical Office and Drug Store will be incorporated into the western side of the project. A drawing of the project shows it turned into an art gallery. I am watching with anticipation to see what is going to happen in Little Haiti. You can already see the spark with new businesses opening like the Citadel Food Hall in the Little River area. I had heard of Lemon City in passing when bones were discovered in an unmarked cemetery during construction of an affordable housing unit. I always meant to learn more about this historic area but never had the time. I finally got to explore this area and was really delighted to find all of the historical markers. It was like a scavenger hunt discovering them and learning another piece of Lemon City's history. The pharmacy is currently fenced off in anticipation of the new project and there is a huge MAGIC sign set up across the street heralding what will hopefully be good things to come for this area. I am excited to see the next chapter of history unfold here.

I first saw - and entered El Jardin in 1982/83. At that time it contained the office of Father…read moreRoger Radloff, a Catholic priest and Jungian psychologist which he used in relation to a private practice that he maintained in addition to being the "shrink for the diocese" as he put it. His assistant at that time was Eugene Ritter. I believe Radloff also offered services to students at the adjoining Carrollton School, which owned the gatehouse. As with all Miami revival architecture, El Jardin is at one with the earth, looks organic, and is built with color, shapes and textures as well as stone.

I went to coconut Grove to see as many historical places as possible, and spotted this one. See…read moreinfo I got from the net regarding it. El Jardin is a house located at 3747 Main Highway in Miami, Florida. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. El Jardin is now home to Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1974. Built in 1918 along a ridge of oolitic limestone, El Jardin expresses the broad training of its architect, Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott, and the experience of its owner, John Bindley, then president of Pittsburgh Steel. Kiehnel, in a September 1928 article for Tropical Home and Garden, referred to the house as a "progenitor of the Modern Mediterranean style home." Kiehnel relocated to Miami from Pittsburgh and became the architect for many landmark buildings, including the Coral Gables Congregational Church, Miami Senior High, and the Coral Gables Elementary School.

Hialeah is a city northwest of Miami. Since I lived in South Florida for a total of Forty Years I…read moredefinitely know the recreational activities and demographics of the city. My happiest memories are of the historic Hialeah Park Race Track. Naturally when I had visitors from the North I usually found entertainment here. At one time it was a definite city that drew the tour buses full of tourists. I had Four Years of Spanish in Middle and High School but when I visit Hialeah I'm sorry to say I still have trouble communicating. This city has areas where they do not speak English. I recommend you visit this city that's rich in Florida History. Visit the race track at least!

Glenn H. Curtiss, aviation pioneer, inventor, and land developer Glenn H. Curtiss moved to Miami in…read morethe 1920's where he partnered with James Bright who made his fortune in cattle. Curtiss and Bright purchased 17,000 acres of scrub and pasture land that years later would become Miami Springs, Hialeah, and Opa-Locka. The city of Hialeah, located in north west Miami was named by a Seminole Indian named Willie Willie, When developer James Bright asked him to describe the property, he called it Hi-ale-ah, translating to pretty prairie or high prairie. The Seminoles used to dock their canoes in Hialeah and sell their wares. Bright dug the Miami Canal to drain the submerged land and Hialeah was incorporated in 1921. One million dollars of land was sold by the developers within 10 days. Bright built his home and cattle ranch at the corner of Hialeah Drive and East Second Avenue and Curtiss built an airfield in the Deer Park Creek neighborhood. G.R. Milliard, Hialeah's first resident, built a home at Okeechobee Road and Hialeah Drive where he operated the town's first post office, first real estate office, first general store, first car repair shop. and the first headquarters for the bus line to Miami. In 1921 his daughter Leah was the first child to be born in Hialeah. In the next two years the town had a dog track and a race course laid out by Glenn Curtiss. In the ensuing years Hialeah became the place where the working people settled buying inexpensive wood frame houses with canvas roofs. The September 1926 Hurricane struck destroying most of the town. This signaled the end of Florida/s land boom years followed by the Great Depression. In 1937 famed aviator Amelia Earhart set off for her doomed final flight from Hialeah. Hialeah and Florida bounced back with the return of GI's seeking a warmer climate after WWII. Hialeah is now the sixth- largest city in Florida with an estimated population 6,198,782 people. Homestead and Hialeah are the only places in Miami Dade County to have its own street grid numbered separate from the rest of the county. Hialeah is primarily Hispanic with the largest population of people of Cuban decent. Many exiles from Cuba who were fleeing Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution settled here. As a resident of Broward County I never gave Hialeah much thought. It was just an exit you passed by on your way to Miami. After taking some time to explore Hialeah I see I have been missing out on art, culture, shopping, architecture, and food. Hialeah has the ornate Mediterranean Revival architecture I love. Start your tour at the Hialeah entrance plaza. Some of the places I have recently discovered and enjoyed include Flamingo Plaza, Garden of the Arts, and the Leah Arts District. I put a collection up on Yelp for anyone interested in exploring Hialeah. Hialeah may not have a beach that draws the tourists but when you take the time to look it is filled with its own charm.

The histories of Cuba and Miami are deeply intertwined, and reminders of that connection can be…read morefound throughout the city, including here at Tamiami Park. While driving through the park, I couldn't miss the large Cuban Flag Memorial near the FIU stadium. Curious to learn more, I stopped for a closer look. The Memorial Cubano was created through a community effort by Cuban exiles in South Florida who wanted to commemorate those who died under the Cuban government after 1959 or while attempting to flee the island. The project began in 2002 when a group of exiles organized a symbolic cemetery to honor victims whose graves were either inaccessible or nonexistent. Thousands of white crosses were placed throughout Tamiami Park, each bearing the name of a deceased person. What began as a temporary tribute soon became an annual tradition. After years of displaying the crosses, a permanent memorial was officially inaugurated on February 22, 2014. Designed by Cuban architects Willy Borroto and Otto Borroto, the memorial features a 62 foot tall obelisk painted as the Cuban flag, a large white star-shaped plaza representing the flag's star, royal palm trees representing the national tree of Cuba, and black marble panels engraved with the names of the deceased. Memorial Cubano, Inc., the nonprofit organization that owns and maintains the memorial, keeps records of individuals whose deaths it deems are attributed to political repression, imprisonment, military actions, or attempts to escape Cuba. Annual ceremonies continue to be held here to honor those who lost their lives under Castro's regime. One particularly large gathering took place on the day of Fidel Castro's funeral. As I walked through the memorial and looked at the names and photographs, the cost of the struggle for freedom was driven home. It was a moving experience. This memorial is well worth a visit if you find yourself in Sweetwater. It is a reminder of the enduring impact Fidel Castro's regime has had on Cubans and the South Florida community.

The city of Opa Locka was built during Florida's land boom years in the 1920's. During this time,…read morethe Middle East was a cultural fad thanks to movies like The Sheik and The Thief of Baghdad. When famous aviator Glenn Curtiss developed Opa Locka he designed it in an Arabian Nights theme. He first named the new development Opa-tisha-wocka-locka, meaning a big island covered with many trees and swamps, but it was later shortened to Opa-locka. Architect Bernhardt Emil Muller was hired to design the town and the streets were given names like Ali Baba Avenue and Sabur Lane. Eight six buildings were built in a Moorish Revival style. Curtiss boasted that he had built the "Baghdad of Dade County." The Hurricane of 1926 destroyed many of the Moorish style buildings but some survived and were added to the National Register of Historic Places. On March 22, 1982, the old city hall known as the Opa-locka Company administration building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places along with the nineteen Moorish Revival style buildings that still survived. The crown jewel of the buildings was the Opa-locka Company administration building whose design was inspired by the palace of Emperor Kosroushah in One Thousand and One Nights. Glenn Curtiss used it as the headquarters for his company, the Opa-locka Company which was the headquarters for the development and sale of land in Opa- locka. He designed it to be the anchor of his new city. later on it became the town hall. By the 1950's the buildings had begun to lose their thematic cohesiveness. The city is now a shadow of it's former glory and has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. The city hall was boarded up as of October 2017 and is in an advanced state of decay. It's a shame that Glenn Curtiss's dream died with his death and a building that was once so beautiful has been allowed to rot away. While I was trying to photograph it a man walked up next to me and started peeing on the vase near my feet. That was my cue to leave.

I came here to have a look at the unusual Pueblo revival style architecture before this sad…read morebuilding demolishes even more. It probably once was a very majestic building, such a crying shame it was allowed to get into such disrepair. I won't tell you all about the history as someone else has kindly told it (thank you). I did look on the internet though, and it would seem that there has been movement to restore it, although no evidence so far from what I saw. Fingers crossed this does happen as Opa Locka certainly needs a revamp!