Until the Florida Marlins arrived in 1993, baseball in Florida centered around spring training and minor league teams.

One of the longest-surviving minor leagues is the Florida State League which was formed in 1919 and, except for 1929 to 1935 and 1942 to 1946, has played every season through this year.

Pompano Beach has been represented several times in the FSL:

Pompano Beach Mets, 1969-1973
Pompano Beach Cubs, 1976-1978
Pompano Beach Miracle, 1990-1991

Pompano Beach was a waystop for the Miracle, between its stints in Miami and Ft. Myers (where the team still plays). The team was brought here by Mike Veeck who promoted the team through wacky promotions and gimmicks such as Jerico, a golden retriever who served as bat boy and goodwill ambassador for the club.

Although many people believe what we call the Intracoastal Waterway is a natural body of water, it is actually a man-made feature, created by connecting and dredging various lakes, tidal streams, bays and inlets that were located just inside the coastline. Parts of the Intracoastal were established in the early 19th century, but Florida, sparsely populated at that time, could not provide an economic justification for building a canal within its eastern shoreline.

The development of a continuous waterway along Florida's east coast was left to private enterprise. In 1883 the Florida Coast Line Canal & Transportation Company began construction from the St. Johns River to Biscayne Bay that continued until 1912, when the last section of the Florida East Coast Canal was completed. By charter requirements the company was to provide a channel 5 feet deep and 50 feet wide, but whether because of inadequate toll receipts or greater interest in profiting from the sale of lands granted by the state to subsidize construction, it failed to maintain these dimensions.

In 1929 a Florida Inland Navigation District created by the state purchased the canal properties and conveyed them to the United States. Financed in large part by Public Works funds, the construction of the waterway was completed in 1935.

(excerpted from History of the Waterways of the Atlantic Coast of the United States)

The Christian Pallbearers Society was formed in the 1930s within several of South Florida's black communities as a means to insure that subscribers burial costs would be covered.

Pompano was the third community to create such an organization in Broward County, after Fort Lauderdale and Dania. Mr. Cheatham Moore is said to have been the local founder.

The Society collected weekly "dues," often a quarter or less, and would then provide burial services for those who had paid into the collective fund. Pompano's Westview Cemetery, on Copans Road, was established by the local Christian Pallbearers Society.

The current drawbridge on A1A over the Hillsboro Inlet was constructed in 1966 and replaced a wooden swing-span bridge built around 1925.

On May 24, 1880, Florida's first telephone exchange opened in Jacksonville. Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company opened with 34 subscribers. Today, its successor company, Bell South, has well over 40 million customers in the United States.

The Florida Historical Society was founded in 1856 in St. Augustine, making it one of the nation's oldest state historical organizations.

The FHS was reorganized in 1902 and has been hold annual meetings that bring together professional historians and laypersons who are interested in the state's history. It's publication, Florida Historical Quarterly, is the premier forum for historical articles on Florida's history.

Last week I mentioned that the "first severe hurricane that many of the early Pompano settlers experienced was in 1906."

Although that may be true, depending on one's definition of "severe," it seems that a hurricane in 1903 caused some damage in Pompano -- it is said that the settlement's original schoolhouse (a small one-room, wood-frame structure) was destroyed in that storm.

Records indicate that a Category 1 hurricane came ashore just south of Jupiter on September 11, 1903. Winds were recorded at 84 miles per hour.

The first Pompano Beach resident elected to the U. S. Congress was Edward J. Stack.

Born in New Jersey in 1910, Stack earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1934. During the Second World War, he served in the Coast Guard.

He moved to Pompano Beach, and was elected to the City Commission in 1965. In 1968 he was elected Broward County Sheriff, a position he left in 1978 to run for Congress.

He was elected to represent Florida's 12th congressional district, but only served a single term (1979 - 1981). He ran unsuccessful campaigns for re-election in both 1980 and 1982.

He died on November 3, 1989.

The first Broward County resident elected to serve in the U.S. Congress was Dwight L. Rogers of Fort Lauderdale.

Born in 1889, Rogers grew up and was educated in Georgia. He arrived in Fort Lauderdale in 1925 and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1930.

In 1944 he was elected to Congress from Florida's newly-created sixth congressional district and served until his death in 1954. He was succeeded by his son, Paul Rogers, who served in the House of Representatives until 1979.

The first severe hurricane that many of the early Pompano settlers experienced was in 1906, just a decade after the community was founded and two years before its incorporation.

That unnamed storm was first observed in the Windward Islands. Its course took it to the western end of Cuba where it turned northeast, hitting Havana and then heading for the Florida Keys. At that time Henry Flagler was constructing the Overseas Railway to Key West and there were hundreds of workers in the Keys, many living in houseboats.

The hurricane hit the Keys on the morning of October 17th, sweeping the houseboats out to sea with the loss of well over a hundred workers. The storm then cut across southeastern Florida, causing damage from Miami to Jupiter.

In Pompano there was significant damage to buildings, foliage and farmland. One pioneer resident later said that it would be years before anyone in town built a two-story structure again.

During the Spanish-American War (1898), a number of Spanish prisoners of war, captured in Cuba, were transported from the island to Miami and then sent on the newly-completed Florida East Coast Railway to a prison in Atlanta.

The First Baptist Church of Pompano Beach was formed on May 4, 1915, but for the first seven years the church's pastors were shared with the Baptist church in Fort Lauderdale.

The Pompano Beach Historical Society will end its 2005-2006 season of public meetings on Wednesday, May 17th, with an old-fashion covered dish supper.

Members and friends of the Historical Society are invited to bring a dish to share and partake of the best meal in Pompano Beach that evening. The event begins at 6:30 PM at the Dick & Miriam Hood Center, 217 NE 4th Avenue, Pompano Beach.

That evening the Historical Society will also present its annual award to an individual who has put forth extraordinary effort to preserve local history. Previous recipients have been Don Downie (2002), David Butler (2003), Bud Garner (2004) and Eldes Whitsett (2005).

Also, the Historical Society's new officers and directors will be installed into office by Broward County Historian Helen Landers.

This is always one of the most enjoyable events of the year, and you won't want to miss it.

Pompano's first canal -- now known as the Pompano Canal -- was constructed in the early years of the 20th century as a means to control mosquitoes. It ran from the Cypress Creek nearly to the FEC tracks, just south of the business district.

One of the primary advocates for its creation was the newly-formed Pompano Beach Woman's Club. When it was dedicated, the featured speaker was three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.

When Isaac I. Hardy arrived at the Pompano setlement in 1899, he purchased 40 acres of land east of today's Federal Highway for 240 dollars.

His first house was built partially from wood that had been salvaged along the beach.

Located on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway at SE 13th Street, Pompano Beach's Indian mound has attracted interest and speculation ever since settlers arrived in this area.

In the 1930s and 1940s, there were several professional and amateur archeological investigations of varying degrees of scholarship. Among the assertions was that the soil used to construct the mound was of a type found in Peru. Another claim was that giant skeletons were discovered that were the remains of "migratory Mongolians" from the 14th century.

The area was dedicated as Indian Mound Park in 1958, during Pompano Beach's Golden Jubilee.

According to the 1956 Pompano Beach City Directory, there were four veterinarians practicing in town at that time:

William Collins and Henry Makinson at 620 South Dixie Highway
Donald Jensen at 1390 South Federal Highway
Henry Mauger at 3725 North Federal Highway

The Pompano Beach Historical Society Board of Directors elected new officers at its meeting on May 3, 2006. Serving for the 2006-07 terms are:

Shirley Farris, President
Brian McHugh, First Vice President
Larry Sands, Second Vice President
Miriam Hood, Third Vice President (Honorary)
Claudia DuBois, Secretary
Judy Knoebel, Treasurer

These officers and recently-elected board members will be installed at the Historical Society's membership/public meeting on May 17th, 6:30 PM, at the Dick & Miriam Hood Center, 217 NE 4th Avenue. Pompano Beach.

The two Pompano Beach high schools, Ely and Pompano Beach, have brought home state championships in various varsity sports over the years.

In football, Ely High has, of late, had one of the premier programs in the state and has sent athletes to major college programs as well as the NFL. Still, it has only one state championship, in 2002. In 1987 Ely made it to the championship game, but lost to Tallahassee Godby in a game played at Ely's field.

Since official state football records were started, in 1963, Pompano Beach High School has never made it to the state football championship game.

Neither school has competed for the state title in either baseball or softball.

Local runners have fared better, at least the girls. Ely's girls track team won the state championship in 1976, and the Pompano Beach High girls brought home the trophy in 2004. Also, the Ely girls cross-country team were best in the state in 1968.

Although neither the Ely nor Pompano Beach boys track team have won a state championship, the local community can claim partial ownership of a couple state championships. Prior to 1928, white Pompano high school students went to Fort Lauderdale High School. In both 1917 and 1923 that small school surprised the state by winning state titles, and being the runners-up in 1921 and 1922.

Yesterday's post on basketball championships by Pompano Beach high schools was incomplete.

The Ely High School girls basketball team captured the state championship in both 1984 and 1992.

Florida has had a championship tournament for girls basketball only since 1976.

Both Pompano Beach and Ely high schools have won state basketball championships in years past:

1946 - Pompano High School (Div. C)
1963 - Pompano Beach High School (Div. 2A)
1993 - Ely High School (Div. 3A)

Additionally, Pompano Beach reached, but lost, the championship game in 1947, 1953, 1958, 1959, and 1971, while Ely finished as state runner-ups in 1988, 1995 and 1999.

In 1956, Pompano Beach residents had their choice of about 25 churches in the community.

The denomination with the most churches was Baptist, with at least six congregations in the following:

First Baptist Church (128 NE 1st Street)
Collier City Baptist Church (NW 2nd Terrace)
Greater Antioch Baptist Church (422 NW 8th Avenue)
Hopewell Baptist Church (1000 NE 6th Street)
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church (732 NW 8th Avenue)
Mt. Zion Baptist Church (1525 NW 8th Street)

For Catholics, in 1956 their nearest church was Assumption Catholic Church on A1A, just south of the Pompano Beach city limits.