Of the 123 families listed on the Pompano Pioneer Monument (arrived in Pompano between 1896 and 1921), 17 are African-American: Alexander, Armbrister, Baker, Ely, Folsom, Gates, Harry, Higgs, Holland, Payton, Rhone, Richardson, Rolle (two branches), Russell, Swain and Thurston.

On March 17th, the Pompano Beach Historical Society's monthly public program will feature a look at the city's baseball history.

Local resident, Tom Curran, is an avid collector of local baseball lore and memorabilia. He will be bringing some of his collection to the Historical Society and discussing the many persons and teams that have played in Pompano Beach, including well-known names, such as Ted Williams, Ferguson Jenkins and Frank Thomas, as well as lesser-known teams, such as the Miracle and the Gold Coast Suns.

Guests are encouraged to bring with them their own Pompano baseball memories and souvenirs they may have collected about this subject.

The program will be held at the Historical Society's Dick & Miriam Hood Center, 217 NE 4th Avenue, Pompano Beach, and will begin at 7:00 pm. The program is free and open to the public.

In 1947, Broward County awarded a contract to Powell Brothers Construction for rebuilding and widening the Dixie Highway bridges over the Pompano and Cypress Creek canals. The total cost of the contract was $9,800.

According to a 1984 study by the United States Department of Justice, Pompano Beach had the second largest Haitian community in Florida. It was estimated that as many as 14,000 Haitians were living in the city.

One of the earlier modern hotels on the beach, the Sea Garden opened on January 13, 1951. Opening ceremonies attracted three hundred guests and included Pompano Beach Mayor G. Ted Hull and Broward County Commission S. C. Fox, as well as the 1951 Orange Bowl queen, Mary Davison.

The hotel, located at 615 North Ocean Boulevard, was designed by Miami architect Carlos B. Schoeppl.

In November, 1979, when the Goodyear blimp Enterprise first came to its new home base in Pompano Beach, it was housed in a huge tent at Pompano Air Park until its permanent hanger was completed.

When baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams became manager of the Washington Senators, the team's 1969 spring training generated considerable crowds and excitement. The glamor of the manager's presence was not matched by Senator's Pompano Beach facilities:

Washington's Pompano Beach encampment is not the most modern of the Florida spring training camps. There is a portable electric heater in William's private dressing room to take off the morning chill, and the room is lit by a naked ceiling bulb. The players eat their noon meal on green benches outside the locker room and on clotheslines inside the left field foul line, drying sweat shirts flap in the wind.

Miami News, February 25, 1969

Alcohol and an argument over a house cat resulted in the 1915 murder of W. Mack Smith, described as a pioneer of the area. Smith accused his neighbor, Jimmie Read, of killing his pet cat and tempers flared. Read, who had been drinking heavily, left, returned with a shotgun and shot Smith in the head.

After several days, concerned friends reported Smith's disappearance to the Pompano Constable [Jonathan?] Hamilton who subsequently found Smith's body buried in a shallow grave southwest of town.

Read was arrested and confessed to the murder. He was taken to jail in Fort Lauderdale, but was moved to West Palm Beach when some local residents began talking about taking the law into their own hands.

During World War II, local govenments were faced with budget shortfalls as virtually all private constuction was halted to concentrate resources on the war effort. Some South Florida municipalities saw their building permit revenues cut in half.

In the 1950s, Pompano Beach officials and residents were upset that about five dozen small wooden houses, almost all in very poor shape, were moved into the city's northwest section from Miami.

Apparently, the houses were moved before Dade County building officials could condemn them. Many were under sales contract when the "new" residences were discovered in an unzoned area west of town.

Pompano Beach officials promised to work with Dade and Broward County to curtail the problem.

The economic dislocations of Great Depression led waves of people to pick up and move to areas of the country that they hoped would provide an opportunity for a job. Perhaps the most famous were the "Oakies," those who left the Dust Bowl devastation in Oklahoma and journeyed to California, often working in that state's agricultural fields.

In the southeastern United States a similar migration saw families moving to Florida.

Most of the migrants from outside Florida come from Alabama and Georgia, where many are sharecroppers. Others are from as far as Mississippi and even Arkansas. Many migrated to Florida for the first time in 1936. This migration pattern resembles the recently swelling migration from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas to the harvest fields of Arizona and California. Depression or drought have dislodged them, and they have dropped into the ranks of migratory laborers completely, or they follow the crops seasonally in order to supplement a meager income at home. Some go southeast, others go west.

[From the Monthly Labor Review (March 1937) of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor, Serial No. R. 530]

After the State of Florida closed the Pompano Race Track for illegal gambling, soon after its opening in December, 1926, the track owners attempted to get around the prohibition on betting with various complicated schemes.

One method was the "corporation system" of wagering, which was described by one South Florida newspaper thusly:

Under the corporation system of stock certificates, used at the track today, the purchaser of a grandstand ticket is entitled to a certain amount of stock in the grandstand. Then if the holder of the grandstand certificate wishes to purchase stock in any particular horse running a race, the price of the stock wanted is listed on the blank form and after the race the proceeds from the stock is divided proportionately.

The Palm Beach Post, January 5, 1930.

In addition to the Pompano Beach Historical Society's Facebook page, the Pompano Beach Green Market now has a Facebook page as does the Sample-McDougald House.

Become a fan.

The Miami News assessed the success of the Sunshine State Parkway (today's Florida Turnpike) on its first birthday:

The Miami - Ft. Pierce turnpike ended its first full year of operation with mileage and income records far exceeding original estimates. In fact, business has been so good Turnpike Authority Chairman [Thomas] Manuel says that even without a traffic increase the 40-year bonds could be paid off in 30 years.

In the 12 months since the turnpike was dedicated Jan. 25, 1957 it carried 3,650,000 vehicles for a gross income of $4,450,000 and a net of $3.2 million.
.......
The phenomenal success of the Sunshine State Parkway after only a year's operation should convince the bond houses that an investment in the Orlando extension would not be a risk but a sound business venture.

Miami News, February 3, 1958

The Pompano Beach Northwest Branch Library will hold a special program celebrating Black History Month on Saturday, February 27th, from 2:00 - 3:00 PM.

The program will feature presentations on Florida's accomplished African-Americans.

The Northwest Branch Library is located at 1580 NW 3 Avenue, Pompano Beach.

For more information call 954 786-2186 (x28 or x29).