Miami History Podcast
52 episodes - English - Latest episode: 25 days ago - ★★★★★ - 58 ratingsThe Miami History Podcast will cover topics on the people, places and events that have shaped Miami's 120+ year history as a city. The hosts are Miami historian Dr. Paul S. George and history blogger Casey Piket.
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Episodes
History Dade County Seats
March 26, 2024 12:40 - 33 minutes - 46.3 MBThis podcast episode features the inception and the history of Dade County and its many different county seats. Originally slated to be named Pinckney County, the municipality was named for Major Francis Dade who lost his life in a battle with the Seminole Indians in December of 1835. The county was formed in January of 1836 and was named to honor the fallen West Point graduate. The original county seat was placed in Indian Key and was there from 1836 until 1844. It was moved to the bank...
Federal Buildings in Downtown Miami
November 28, 2023 13:02 - 27 minutes - 38.3 MBThis podcast episode features the buildings that served as the federal courthouse and post office in Miami from 1915 through the present day. The first courthouse was designed by Oscar Wenderoth in the early 1910s and opened at 100 NE First Avenue in downtown Miami. This building provided for all federal agencies including the courthouse, post office, and weather bureau from its opening until the peak of the Great Depression in 1933. When the city’s federal business outgrew the original ...
History of Port of Miami
July 18, 2023 22:08 - 40 minutes - 54.9 MBThis podcast episode discusses the early history of the Port of Miami. From the first channel dredged by Henry Flagler in 1897 to the move of the port to the Dodge Islands, the overriding theme throughout the history of this most important institution was “Watch the Port of Miami”. What began with the start of steamship service from Royal Palm Docks to transport tourists from Miami to Key West, grew into one of the largest port operations in the nation by the 1930s. When the port moved f...
Statesman Tourists in Miami (1920 - 1946)
February 26, 2023 17:44 - 1 hour - 84 MBThis podcast episode features the stories of presidents and world leaders who visited Miami from 1920 – 1946. By the start of the second decade of the Twentieth Century, newly elected presidents began traveling to Miami as part of their pre-inauguration vacation to relax, fish and prepare for their presidential term. This was the case for Warren G. Harding in 1921, Herbert Hoover in 1929, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933. In addition, as Miami grew over the course of the first few d...
History of Dade County Courthouses in Miami
January 30, 2023 03:11 - 29 minutes - 41 MBThis podcast episode features the different Dade County courthouses that were located in the City of Miami from the formation of the county. Dade County was created in 1836 and the county seat resided in Indian Key, along the banks of the Miami River, and in Juno, until a county-wide vote placed it in the City of Miami in 1899. The first county courthouse in Miami was located in a two-story building on the east side of Avenue D, the future South Miami Avenue, from 1899 until 1904. The firs...
50th Anniversary of Perfection in 1972
December 28, 2022 20:20 - 1 hour - 116 MBThe year 1972 was a special year for the Miami metropolitan area. It was an election year when South Florida hosted the political conventions of both major parties, when the sitting president made Key Biscayne famous as the winter White House, and when Dade County approved a $553 million “Decade of Progress” bond issue to fund projects that would upgrade the county’s infrastructure and cultural institutions. It was also the year of the “perfect season” for the Miami Dolphins. Tune into thi...
History of the Village of Miami Shores
November 23, 2022 00:23 - 21 minutes - 29.2 MBThis podcast episode features the story of one of South Florida’s prominent municipalities on the northeastern section of Dade County. What was once part of an area referred to generically as ‘Biscayne Country’, it became America’s Mediterranean when the Shoreland Company purchased and platted the future Village of Miami Shores. The development of Miami Shores began to market property during the peak of the 1920s building boom and set records for lot sales in a single day. However, the Sho...
Miami - Civil War to Incorporation (1861 – 1896)
August 23, 2022 00:43 - 30 minutes - 41.4 MBThis podcast episode features Miami from the onset of the Civil War to the dawn of incorporation in 1896. While it was a sparsely populated wilderness, the former Fort Dallas, or future City of Miami, was subject to a Union blockade during the Civil War years. During the reconstruction period, the Freedman’s Bureau dispatched William Gleason to assess the viability of the region for a place to settle freed slaves. This began a period of chaos between the established settlers and Gleason’s am...
History of Fort Dallas
August 14, 2022 18:08 - 36 minutes - 49.7 MBThis podcast episode features the story of the Fort Dallas era of Miami. While there were several fortifications during the conflicts with the Seminole tribe during the mid-1800s, the area took on the name Fort Dallas for years following the army’s abandonment of the fort that once resided in today’s downtown Miami. Fort Dallas was originally built on Richard Fitzpatrick’s homesite during the Second Seminole War, and then later was refortified on the same property, then owned by Fitzpatrick’...
Dade Heritage Trust Turns 50
June 20, 2022 23:02 - 41 minutes - 57.4 MBOn the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Dade Heritage Trust (DHT), the Miami History Podcast welcomes Christine Rupp, director of the organization to discuss the institution’s mission, accomplishments, and future. DHT was founded to provide advocacy for historic preservation around Miami-Dade County. It was organized in 1972 by a group of women who saw the need for a county-wide organization to protect historic buildings and resources throughout the municipality. Website: www.miami...
Downtown Miami Railroad Stations
June 14, 2022 23:24 - 34 minutes - 47.3 MBThis podcast episode discusses the locations, stories, and impact of the FEC downtown railroad stations over the course of the City of Miami’s first 125 years of history. From the first temporary train station constructed in 1896, lasting only one year, to the long-time wood frame station near the county courthouse, the FEC railroad stations have always been important institutions during downtown Miami’s storied history. www.miami-history.com
The Story of Allapattah
January 05, 2022 00:54 - 44 minutes - 60.6 MBAt the time the city of Miami decided on its original borders during incorporation in 1896, Allapattah was located on the city’s outskirts consisting of pristine piney woods and farmland along the edge of the everglades. While it was primarily agricultural, Flagler’s FEC organization chose the quarter as the location of their nine-hole golf course for the Royal Palm Hotel. It also became the homesite for John Sewell, the self-proclaimed “Daddy of Miami”. Over time, Allapattah became one of...
Main Library in Bayfront Park
July 21, 2021 00:32 - 47 minutes - 64.7 MBThe main branch of the downtown Miami library began as a collection of books and reading circles by the Married Ladies Afternoon Club at the turn of the last century. The roving de-facto library met in many different places during its first decade, but the lack of a facility did not deter the women who began the city’s collection of books. With the creation of the Miami’s Women’s Club on Flagler Street, the library had an address. The club would move to the Edgewater neighborhood in the la...
Puerto Ricans in Miami
June 22, 2021 12:04 - 27 minutes - 37.8 MBFor more than seventy-five years, Puerto Ricans have relocated to Miami in phases. Places like Brickell, Wynwood and the Redlands saw significant settlements of Puerto Rican families as part of several waves of migration. In the mid-1940s, some of the wealthier families purchased mansions along Brickell Avenue to form the first “Little San Juan”. A decade later, a migration of working-class Boricuas settled in Wynwood, shifting the designation of “Little San Juan” to that quarter. Tune int...
Building Boom of the 1920s
June 04, 2021 20:47 - 58 minutes - 80.6 MBThis podcast episode discusses Miami’s great building boom of the 1920s. The state of Florida attracted a lot of capital for real estate speculation during the roaring twenties and South Florida was the epicenter of this investment activity. While the boom peaked in the mid-1920s, the progression toward this crescendo began in latter part of the 1910s and early 1920s. It was decade when Miami evolved from a quiescent small southern city into one of the fastest growing metropolises in the cou...
Brickells in Australia
March 12, 2021 02:28 - 55 minutes - 76.7 MBThe name Brickell has become synonymous with the upscale financial district located on the southside of the Miami River. However, long before the name became a brand for an important quarter near downtown Miami, it was the surname of a prominent family that settled southside when the area was a sparsely populated outpost and long before it became what it is today. Those who are familiar with the story of the Brickell family may know their role in the formation of the city of Miami but may ...
Greater Miami During WWII
February 14, 2021 21:47 - 53 minutes - 73.7 MBThis podcast episode describes the transformation of the greater Miami area after the United States entered World War II. The area became the training facility for the armed forces. Downtown Miami was converted into the southern command and training facility for the Navy, and Miami Beach became the training grounds for the Army Air Corp. The focus of the entire metropolitan area was the war effort. Miami History Blog: www.miami-history.com Miami History Channel: www.miamihistorychannel.com
Wynwood’s Little San Juan
June 28, 2020 20:03 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBThe conclusion of World War II marked a time period of hope and change for America. The return of soldiers from fighting in two theaters of war triggered rapid change throughout the country, but particularly in South Florida. That was especially true for the Wynwood neighborhood, located in the heart of the City of Miami. When the Martinez family relocated to Wynwood in 1945, it began a trend that transformed the neighborhood. Other Puerto Rican families began to identify Wynwood as a plac...
Pioneer Aviator Hugh Robinson
April 26, 2020 21:38 - 29 minutes - 40.9 MBWhen Hugh Robinson met Glenn Curtiss, it was more than just a chance meeting. It was the beginning of a friendship and partnership that had a lasting impact on early aviation. Curtiss was the visionary and Robinson was the engineer who brought Curtiss’ vision to life. The innovations and advancements made by these two men were consequential and lasting. In addition to their contributions to aviation, both men contributed to the development of South Florida as well. Curtiss was a very wealt...
Short History of Silver Bluff
April 05, 2020 20:52 - 14 minutes - 19.8 MBPlatted in 1911 and incorporated in 1921, the town of Silver Bluff was independent for a short period of time. It was one of several municipalities that was annexed by the city of Miami in 1925. Nestled between the Miami’s original southern boundary and the town of Coconut Grove, Silver Bluff was named for the bluff, located along the eastern edge of the quarter, that appears silver when touched by morning sunlight. Although the community was split on the decision to become part of the cit...
George Merrick & Coral Gables
March 15, 2020 20:51 - 19 minutes - 26.4 MBCoral Gables was more than just a master planned development erected during the building boom of the 1920s, it was where its founder, George Merrick, found the perfect intersection of poetry and progress. Merrick was both a pragmatist and a dreamer. He studied the City Beautiful movement very closely to the point where he envisioned Coral Gables before the first shovel was planted in the ground of the family plantation. He even nicknamed his new municipality “The City Beautiful” after the mo...
Super Bowls Hosted in South Florida
January 25, 2020 17:56 - 31 minutes - 42.6 MBAs Miami prepares to host Super Bowl LIV, this podcast episode will reflect on the ten prior Super Bowls played in Miami. While this year’s Super Bowl will be the sixth hosted at Joe Robbie, now called Hard Rock, stadium, five of the first ten Super Bowls were played at the iconic Orange Bowl. The games featured a repeat champion, an unlikely upset, a last-minute victory and a rematch of two storied franchises. Once the Super Bowl moved to Miami Gardens for the next five games hosted in So...
El Jardin in Coconut Grove
December 28, 2019 14:29 - 26 minutes - 37 MBOnce part of Coconut Grove’s Millionaire Row, El Jardin was originally the home of Pittsburgh industrialist John Bindley. The mansion was later used as a corporate retreat for the Cities Services Corporation, later renamed Citgo, and then finally the campus of the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart beginning in 1961. The residence was designed by renowned architect Pittsburgh-based Richard Kiehnel, principal of the firm Kiehnel and Elliott. Tune into this week’s podcast episode to hear ...
Annexation of 1925
November 11, 2019 20:41 - 16 minutes - 23 MBThe annexation of towns and unincorporated areas of Dade County was a growth strategy for the City of Miami in both 1913 and 1925. The city took advantage of a Florida law in 1905 that changed how annexations would proceed in the state. The 1913 annexation extended the northern and western borders without much incidence. However, the annexation in 1925, which included the municipalities of Coconut Grove, Silver Bluff, Allapattah, Little River, Buena Vista and Lemon City, was met with reluc...
Pine Tree Drive on Miami Beach
October 29, 2019 13:28 - 13 minutes - 18.2 MBPine Tree Drive on Miami Beach has been the focus of both city officials and preservationists in recent months. The Australian Pines planted in the median of this thoroughfare served an agricultural purpose long before they provided shade and aesthetics for a busy street on the beach. Originally planted by John Collins, one of the founders of Miami Beach, the trees represent a public safety concern given their age and shallow root system. Australian Pines are not indigenous to Florida and ...
Munroes of Coconut Grove
October 01, 2019 11:58 - 22 minutes - 30.8 MBA surname very familiar to those who study Coconut Grove’s early history is Munroe. There were two unrelated families with the same last name, and same spelling, that had a deep impact on the Grove from its onset. Today, Ralph may be the most well-known Munroe given that his home, The Barnacle, is a very popular tourist attraction in the heart of Coconut Grove. However, his friends, both namesake and others, were central to the early development of a community that so many admire today. Ra...
Downtown Theaters in Mid-Century Miami
September 01, 2019 21:57 - 14 minutes - 19.7 MBIn the middle decades of the last century, Miami featured a vibrant downtown that served as the center of activity for daily life for residents of the growing metropolitan area. The central business district was a hub for shopping, dining and entertainment. Although only a few remain, the theaters of downtown Miami were a big part of this core of activity. The theater district included Flagler Street and the adjacent area and featured theaters from three of the largest theater chains in th...
History of Miami News Freedom Tower
July 01, 2019 01:08 - 17 minutes - 23.9 MBThe latest episode of the Miami History Podcast will tell the story of the Miami Daily News and the building that it occupied from 1925 until 1957, when the newspaper relocated to a new building near the Miami River. The tower was vacant for nearly five years when it was given a second life. From 1962 until 1974 it became the Ellis Island for newly arriving Cuban refugees. During its time as the processing and welcome center for Cubans, it was renamed Freedom Tower. The building provided h...
History of Fort Dallas Park
June 02, 2019 15:22 - 19 minutes - 27.2 MBThis podcast episode features historic Fort Dallas Park in downtown Miami. Once the core of Julia Tuttle’s estate on the north bank of the Miami River, it became a fine upscale residential area following her death. Harry Tuttle, Julia’s only son, platted out property that spanned from NE First Avenue to South Miami Avenue from east to west, and the river to midway between SE Third and SE Second Street from south to north. There were many one to two-story single-family homes in this downtown ...
History of Miami City Cemetery
May 26, 2019 20:13 - 20 minutes - 27.9 MBThis podcast episode features the story of the Miami City Cemetery. Aside from a city’s history museum, there may not be a better way to learn about an area’s past than a walk through its oldest cemetery. The city cemetery on NE Second Avenue certainly tells the story of early Miami. Miami’s signature graveyard has interred many of the city’s most important pioneers. From railroad men who were dispatched by Henry Flagler to the Miami River to develop the north bank, to opportunists that cr...
History of the Wynwood Neighborhood
April 29, 2019 20:41 - 20 minutes - 28.7 MBThe Wynwood neighborhood has received a lot of attention over the last couple of decades. However, its history is more than a hundred years. The neighborhood was originally named Wyndwood Park. Later the name would drop the park from the name and the ‘D’ from the spelling of Wynwood. The area was mostly occupied by working class residents. It featured companies such as the Coca Cola bottling plant, as well as, the American Bakeries. Northwest Fifth Avenue developed into a garment district....
History of Miami River – Part 2 of 2
February 24, 2019 22:48 - 21 minutes - 29.2 MBThe second part of the history of the Miami River describes the evolution of the river from the mid-1800s through modern times. Prior to the Brickells arriving to the area, the big cash crop in the area was the cultivation and processing of the cyad plant, known as Coontie. It was one of the few industries that provided trade for the area. After the Tuttles and Brickells came to an agreement with Henry Flagler, the river changed dramatically. The news of Flagler extending his railway to wh...
History of Miami River – Part 1 of 2
February 09, 2019 21:13 - 17 minutes - 24.3 MBThe Miami River is the serpentine tributary that separates downtown Miami from today’s Brickell neighborhood. The history of the area has centered around this waterway as the regions earliest inhabitants found refuge, food and security along the banks of the river. Juan Ponce De Leon named the indigenous people found along the river as “Tequesta” during a voyage on Biscayne Bay in 1513. The river was also the location of several Spanish missions, a military fort, a blockade by the navy dur...
Sports in Miami During the Art Deco Age
January 27, 2019 15:46 - 13 minutes - 18 MBSports have been a big part of Miami’s entertainment fabric from the very beginning. In the first couple of decades baseball games were played at Royal Palm Park which was adjacent to the Royal Palm Hotel. Given the access to the ocean, fishing tournaments were a big draw, particularly for conventioneers who traveled to Miami during the winter months. The Art Deco Age began in the late 1920s and lasted until the start of World War II. During this era, football became more popular and games...
Perricones in Brickell
January 06, 2019 02:46 - 26 minutes - 36.1 MBAs Steve Perricone prepares to move his namesake Brickell restaurant and marketplace to a new location, he sat down for an interview with the Miami History Podcast to share his personal story and what led him to Brickell. Steve began his career as a party promoter in New York. Circumstances led him into the restaurant business and his early ventures provided valuable lessons that he now applies to his successful business in Miami. His journey to South Florida did not begin in Brickell but ...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 17
December 31, 2018 03:20 - 16 minutes - 22.2 MBAs December approached in the year of 1896, the recently incorporated city of Miami was winding down a very eventful year. The extension of the FEC Railway to the banks of the Miami River was completed, construction of Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel was nearing completion and the residents of the new city were preparing for their very first Christmas. Miami History Channel: www.miamihistorychannel.com Miami History Blog: www.miami-history.com
Miami History Podcast - Episode 16
December 22, 2018 01:16 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MBThis podcast episode features the structures that held the distinction of being the tallest buildings in Miami from 1912 through the present. From the time that Roddy Burdine decided to build the five-story retail and office building until the recent completion of the Panorama Tower, Miami has had several buildings that have held the distinction being considered Miami’s tallest edifice. Miami History Channel: www.miamihistorychannel.com Miami History Blog: www.miami-history.com
Miami History Podcast - Episode 15
November 12, 2018 02:48 - 19 minutes - 27.4 MBThis podcast episode discusses the history of a unique street in downtown Miami that was given the nickname of Short Street by early Miami pioneers. Its formal name was originally Avenue A, but given its span of only two-blocks, it was much shorter than the other avenues that were laid out during the incorporation of the city of Miami. Short Street was the centerpiece of Miami’s first upscale residential area. Many early Miami pioneers built fine homes along the avenue and adjacent streets...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 14
November 03, 2018 21:35 - 17 minutes - 24 MBThis podcast episode features Miami’s Ball & Chain. Within the confines of Little Havana stands an institution that has lived a couple of lives. Within the walls of a building that was constructed in 1930 is an entertainment venue that provides libations, live music and dancing in the heart of the Tamiami Trail. In its first incarnation, the night spot provided live music and dancing beginning in the 1935. By the late 1940s, the entertainment lineup included live Jazz and burlesque shows. ...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 13
September 30, 2018 02:00 - 23 minutes - 32.9 MBThis podcast episode will tell the story of Little Havana. Prior to the neighborhood taking a new name in the 1960s, it was known as two different neighborhoods. The Riverside neighborhood was located north of SW Eighth Street and was created by a lot of different developers during the first half of the Twentieth Century. The Shenandoah neighborhood developed south of SW Eighth Street and was named for its resemblance to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Everything changed after Castro to...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 12
September 23, 2018 11:53 - 26 minutes - 35.8 MBThis podcast episode features the history of Coconut Grove. From its inception, ‘The Grove’ was a place that attracted characters and developed on its own terms. Long before Henry Flagler decided to extend his railway to the banks of the Miami River, Coconut Grove was an active community that was much larger than what would become the core of downtown Miami. The community attracted counts, authors, painters and anyone who appreciated the organic and pristine beauty of South Florida before ...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 11
September 08, 2018 23:13 - 23 minutes - 32.6 MBThis podcast episode features the father of Miami Beach, Carl Fisher and one of his most notable hotels. Carl Fisher was a serial entrepreneur who made his fortune marketing technology to provide headlamps for early automobiles. After he and his partner, James Allison, sold Prest-O-Lite to Union Carbide, Fisher was in search for his next project. As fate would work its magic, Fisher ended up “retiring” in Miami at home he bought sight unseen in Miami’s upscale Southside neighborhood. South...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 10
August 26, 2018 23:20 - 19 minutes - 26.2 MBThis podcast episode features Miami’s first luxury hotel. As part of his agreement with Julia Tuttle, Henry Flagler built the Royal Palm Hotel on the north bank of the Miami River in an area that became downtown a few decades later. Shortly after the signing of the agreement between Tuttle and Flagler, Joseph A. McDonald and John Sewell got to work to build the iconic hotel. The structure was a five-story, wood-frame building with an observation tower at the top and a wrap-around veranda o...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 9
August 20, 2018 01:14 - 19 minutes - 26.2 MBThis podcast episode focuses on Miami’s pioneer physician. Dr. James Jackson was the son of a doctor who grew up in Bronson, Florida. Although his father wanted him to manage the family orange grove business, James wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps as a doctor. He got his medical degree from Bellevue Hospital in New York City and joined his father to practice medicine back in Bronson. However, the freezes of 1894 completely changed his fate when he had to leave Bronson to continue...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 8
July 29, 2018 14:40 - 19 minutes - 27.1 MBThe eighth episode of the Miami History Podcast discusses the Burdine family and their namesake store. Opportunity brought William Burdine and his family to Miami in 1898. Having heard about the influx of soldiers deployed to Camp Miami during the Spanish American War, William dispatched his son, John, to the two-year old Magic City. Miami History Channel: www.miamihistorychannel.com Miami History Blog: www.miami-history.com Provide feedback to [email protected]
Miami History Podcast - Episode 7
July 08, 2018 13:34 - 18 minutes - 25.3 MBThe seventh episode of the Miami History Podcast discusses the history of Bayfront Park. Built with bay bottom fill in the mid-1920s, the park has been the front porch of the City of Miami since it opened in 1925. It has been a location for many of Miami's most notable events for large gatherings. While it has been considered for conversion from a park to other uses, it has remained the most important green space in downtown Miami. Miami History Channel: www.miamihistorychannel.com Miami ...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 6
June 24, 2018 16:48 - 18 minutes - 25.5 MBThe sixth episode of the Miami History Podcast features the story of the iconic Orange Bowl. Long before it was known as the “Orange Bowl” it was a baseball stadium on land provided by the Tatum Brothers. During the early 1930s, several prominent Miami pioneers came up with the idea to have the city host a New Year’s Day football game. In the game’s third year, the same committee of men facilitated the move to what become the Orange Bowl’s permanent home. Miami History Channel: www.miamihi...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 5
June 17, 2018 19:28 - 11 minutes - 15.6 MBThe fifth episode of the Miami History Podcast continues the story of the Brickell family. Part two discusses the Brickell family’s impact on Miami from the turn of the twentieth century to modern day. Following the death of Bill Brickell in 1908, Mary Brickell assumed the role as leader of the family business. While she was a tough business woman, she was considerably more tactful than her late husband. During her time managing the family’s real estate affairs, Mary sold tracts of land to...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 4
June 10, 2018 11:47 - 9 minutes - 4.43 MBThe fourth episode of the Miami History Podcast begins the story of the Brickell family. This is a two-part series explains what brought the family to the banks of the Miami River and their impact on the development of the City of Miami. William Brickell was considered a soldier of fortune who traveled the world to find his fortune. During his travels, he met his wife Mary Bulmer. By the time the couple arrived in South Florida, they had six children and added two more after settling alon...
Miami History Podcast - Episode 3
June 02, 2018 19:35 - 16 minutes - 7.76 MBThe third episode of the Miami History Podcast features the story of Julia Tuttle. She is considered by most the “Mother of Miami”. Although she was unable to cast a vote for the incorporation of the city on July 28. 1896, there was no bigger catalyst for the founding and development of Miami. Julia was a young woman when she first visited the banks of the Miami River. From the moment that she saw the pristine beauty of the area, she began to envision what it could become. Long before she ...