The Mid-Century Museum and Cultural Center is one of the three buildings owned by the Deerfield…read morebeach Historical Society. They also own a Kester Cottage, now the Museum of Black History and the Butler House which are across the street. This former mid-century modern home belonged to Robert and Martha Butler. Robert was the nephew of James D. and Alice Butler who built the 1923 home that was bequeathed to the historical society in 1977. The mid-century home has been transformed into a center for art, culture. and community gatherings. Some of the events held here include live music, art classes, films, lectures, and community meetings. There is also art gallery space. Although there wasn't anything in the gallery I loved checking out the home which is a mid-century time capsule. Mid-century design is a popular style in architecture, furniture, and graphic design from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s, It emphasizes simple, functional pieces created from natural and man-made materials like wood, plastic, and metal. If you know it you can easily spot signs of it all over the house like the uniquely colored bathrooms and the silver metal starburst on the wall. You can take tour of this house and the Butler house every Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM. On January 14 the Mid-Century Museum and Cultural Center is hosting the opening of Phoenix Photography "Florida Views", a photographic collection featuring the beauty of Florida. It will be running until February 21st. Other events include Driveway Fridays, a monthly concert, the Saturday Lecture Series, International Film Night, and art classes for children and adults. The Deerfield Beach Historical Society offers so much and I always enjoy catching up with them when I can.

Foreverglades is an art exhibit on a steamboat in Howard Park across from the Kravis Center for the…read morePerforming Arts. The tiny pond at the north end of the park the boat is floating on was once the Stub Canal and Turning Basin. It was large enough for barges that carried passengers and produce from Belle Glade, a farming community south of Lake Okeechobee that was settled in 1925 and which provided food for the area. Later on the main crop became sugar and large corporations like Domino Sugar and Florida Crystals changed the land and stopped the flow of water to the Everglades. Boat service from Belle Glade started on May 17,1918 when 5,000 crates of vegetables were transferred to 10 railway freight cars. After a railroad line and highway opened in the 1920's, boat travel to fell out of favor and the 1928 Hurricane destroyed the boat docks. Now all that is left of the large waterway is what looks like a small retention pond with a fountain. Foreverglades is funded by the Knight Foundation, the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs, and the West Palm Beach Arts & Entertainment District. Photographer Sofia Valiente lived in Belle Glade for five years and her pictures focus mainly on the African-Americans who live and work in Belle Glade. Many of them work on the farms and in the fields despite poverty and the region being hit by floods, drought, and hurricanes. She wanted to show how Belle Glade influenced the growth of this region of Florida. The pictures hang on the walls of a 41 foot replica of a 1920's steamboat that was built in Miami, hauled by truck to West Palm Beach, and placed into the lake by a crane. Sofia chose to show her work in a boat to highlight the link between Belle Glade and the town it helped to grow, West Palm Beach. This exhibit runs until February 2020 and is free. You can access the boat from a walking path that runs around the pond. Photographer Sofia Valiente staffs the exhibit so you can speak to her when you visit. Belle Glade is an area that has been ignored by the rest of the state but it was a place I wanted to know more about. This exhibit made me want to visit and explore it myself. I love the history this exhibit highlights and how it shines a light on an area and people that doesn't attract a lot of attention despite their agricultural contributions to the community.

Old cemeteries like this one contain important information about history and genealogy. Pine Crest…read moreCemetery also has one of the blue historic markers in front of it that is part of the Florida Historical Marker Program. The Historical Marker program is one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular and valued public history programs. It raises 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 churches, schools, buildings, roads, archaeological sites, battlefields, and cemeteries like this one. Historic marker F-1235 was installed in 2023 by The City of Lake Worth Beach and the Florida Department of State. When Lake Worth was incorporated in June 1913, it had 700 residents along with a post office, several stores, a church, bank, school, and a newspaper. However, there was no cemetery and all burials were made in Woodlawn Cemetery in West Palm Beach or privately. In 1915, the Lake Worth government appointed a committee to find a suitable location for a cemetery. The committee found a 9.2 acre parcel in the southwest corner of town. Lake Worth purchased it for $10 per acre for a total of $920.00. The first recorded burial took place in July of 1923. The city held a contest to name the cemetery and compromised between two suggestions, Pine Crest. The original cemetery was Sections A through P. In 1935, the American Legion requested that the city designate a portion of Pine Crest Cemetery as a memorial plot for service men. In response the city created section I which was set aside for veterans at no charge, with standard government markers. American Legion Post #47 donated the labor and material for sidewalks. Veterans from the Spanish American War, and World War I and II were laid to rest here. In 1949, the city acquired more land on the western edge of the cemetery and created sections 1 through 30. Until 1970 the cemetery was segregated with only whites buried here while black residents were buried nearby at I. A. Banks Memorial Park, formerly Osborne Municipal Cemetery. In 1971 Pine Crest cemetery was enlarged again to a total of 17.25 acres and 8,625 burials. Section BB is for infants. A time capsule was buried on the grounds in 1976 by the Lake Worth Centennial Committee and the Lake Worth Civic Council. It will be opened July 4, 2076. Pine Crest Cemetery is very peaceful and well maintained. Despite the age, the graves look well tended and there are beautiful flowering royal poinciana and plumeria trees. The city recently added a fence for added security.

This is a beautifully maintained local cemetery. I have only visited a handful of times, but each…read moretime, it has been free of visible trash, with bright green grass and no one loitering. There are shady parts with trees, as well as long stretches of mostly car free pavement. Parking inside is limited to certain hours, and only certain gates are open dawn to dusk. It is appears fully gated. There is limited sidewalk access outside of it.

The Tropical Postcard Club is keeping the tradition of postcards alive. Have you ever sent or…read morereceived a postcard? It is a simple way to share a moment, and people have been doing it since the early days of the U.S. Postal System. Postcards became popular during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, collecting postcards is a hobby called deltiology. Deltiology is thriving in Deerfield Beach thanks to the Tropical Postcard Club, which was founded in 2012 by Michael Hopkins. Collectors get together to trade, buy, sell, and talk about postcards. They meet on the second Saturday of each month at the Old School House in Deerfield Beach, next to City Hall. I stopped by one of the meetups and found a friendly and enthusiastic group displaying their collections. There was a huge mix of postcards from all over, with prices ranging from just a few cents to a couple of dollars. Along with the postcards, they were also selling stamps, patches, and vintage magazines. They even had complimentary refreshments. Everyone was so welcoming and happy to talk about their collections. I especially liked reading some of the messages on the backs of the mailed postcards. It felt like a link to the past. This was such a charming experience, and I had a wonderful time. You can follow them on Facebook to learn more.

Continuing my self guided historical tour of Lake Worth found me at I.A. Banks Memorial Park, a…read morehistorically black cemetery. The cemetery was originally called the Osborne Municipal Cemetery. It was renamed I. A. Banks Memorial Park in 1983 in honor of Reverend I. A. Banks (1890 - 1975). Reverend Banks was the founder and 35 year pastor of New Hope Baptist Church which is located diagonally across the street from the cemetery. In 1885 Samuel and Fannie James, believed to be former slaves, were among the first people to homestead this area before it became Lake Worth. Fannie petitioned for and operated the first post office in what was then called Jewell. In 1914 other Bahamians and African-Americans settled in between Lake Worth and Lantana which was the only area they were permitted to be in due to segregation. When Lake Worth's first municipal cemetery Pine Crest was created in 1923, it was whites only. Blacks had to be buried in Boynton Beach or West Palm Beach. In 1960, Lake Worth established the 1.5-acre Osborne Municipal Cemetery for black residents. The first cemetery care taker was David U. Millines. Recently the city paid to have the cemetery fenced in for added security. I.A. Banks Memorial Park contains 262 graves including veterans. This cemetery is part of the Florida Historical Marker Program, one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular and valued public history programs. It raises 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 churches, schools, buildings, roads, archaeological sites, battlefields, and cemeteries like this one. Historic marker F-1234 was installed in 2023 by the City of Lake Worth Beach and the Florida Department of State.

This is a historic cemetery founded in 1892 by the Evergreen Cemetery Company in what was then…read moreknown as Lantana Point. The land for the cemetery was purchased by Morris B. Lyman, the founder of Lantana. The cemetery is a city block long and 85 feet wide. There are 20 headstones but an unknown number of African-Americans and sailors washed up on the beaches are also buried here. There is also a mass grave containing victims of the 1928 Hurricane. The earliest grave here is from 1886. Morris B. Lyman and his father, Morris K. Lyman are buried here. In addition to founding the town, Morris was also the towns first postmaster. He chose the name Lantana for the flowering plant that grew in the area. Sadly soon after Morris purchased the cemetery, he and his wife Mary buried their nine month old daughter, Bertha Rachel. Also buried in this cemetery is Dan McCarley, the areas first Barefoot Mailman. The Barefoot Mailmen were US postal workers who delivered the mail in South Florida from 1885 to 1893 by walking barefoot on the beach from Palm Beach to Miami. Dan also became Lantana's first chief of police. Burials in the cemetery ended in 1950 so that the only people buried here are city pioneers. The City of Lantana currently owns the cemetery and in 2012 a fence was installed. In the center of the cemetery is a large Banyan tree. A historical marker was installed explaining the historical significance of this cemetery. This is a well maintained an excellent place to explore the history of this quaint beach side town.

Took a short walk around the garden and i did not see fruit but only herbs and flowers and a really…read morecute pink flamingo. The community gets together and grows everything in the boxes. I love gardening and maybe i can volunteer here. Its a little far back so the garden cannot be seen from the main road. Just one of the things to experience in Pearl City.

HOLY STRING BEANS !!!…read more The Pearl City historical district hosts a community garden that is next to the fire station and a church. Looks like a small 1/4 acre of overgrown land, but when you walk the grounds it is full of waist high boxes with growing veggies, herbs and flowers. The garden is sponsored by D.I.S.C. or Developing Interracial Social Change. The garden is just one of the few historical landmarks in Pearl City.

I discovered JC Iron Ornamental Works when riding around an area of East Boca Raton which is…read moreexperiencing construction of a lot of new modern homes. There was one home with balcony railings being installed, I stopped and walked up to the technician and asked him if I could look closer at the railings. He said sure, and then I walked into this strikingly modern home, only to discover a wonderful aluminum and glass staircase leading to the second floor. Both the balcony railings and staircase structure were custom made by JC Iron Ornamental. Beautiful craftsmanship is an understatement. I made contact with the company's owner, Juan Carlos, who willingly made an appointment to visit our home in East Boca Raton from his workshop in West Palm Beach. At that time, I was considering adding a spiral staircase leading to the flat roof of our house to create a roof terrace. Juan Carlos prepared a proposal and provided technical information how the flat roof would need to be supported to receive the spiral staircase, as well as information I was not aware of - the need for a railing around the entire flat roof. After much consideration, that project was scrapped. We returned to JC when we made a final decision to have custom aluminum gates and fencing created for our new circular driveway. He came out to the property again to review the scope of the project and to take his own measurements, even though we already had an approved architectural drawing of the site. We visited his workshop again to select the color of the powder coated paint which would be baked over the aluminum. He met his operations manager, Diego V., who has provided efficient support throughout the project. We also visited after the gates and fencing were manufactured to see them in their raw state, while being welded with blow torches, before buffing, which precedes the powder coating. Each time, we were impressed with the efficiency of the operation and the chemistry between all of the shop workers. I should note that we gave JC photos of other gates and fences we had seen and said "we want something like this" and his design emulated what we liked, but elevated it to the next level. The fencing and gates are are strong and handsome looking looking, if I can use those terms. The powder coating job is outstanding, as well as all of the welding, the joining of pieces is seamless. The gates and fencing were expertly installed, Juan Carlos personally working the installation, along with his crew. And it was a typical South Florida day, with a heat index with humidity making it feel like 106! The guys didn't miss a beat and their commitment to professionalism is evident in the final product. If you need anything created in metal, this is the company to use. Juan Carlos takes pride in his design and manufacturing, and works at each major installation to ensure perfection.