Crossing over from Oakland Park into Wilton Manors on Northeast 6th Avenue I drove over this cute…read morelittle bridge that spans the Middle River. Wilton Manors is known as the Island City because it is surrounded by the North and South Forks of the Middle River. This bridge was named in 1997 in honor of Gerald and Diane Thompson. Gerald Thompson was a city commissioner with a 32 year political career and his wife Diane was the daughter of a pioneer. Her father was Fred Richardson, a bricklayer who moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1912. Gerald was on the Wilton Manors City Council for a decade and on the County Commission for 22 years. One of his greatest accomplishments was getting the Sawgrass Expressway created. He also spearheaded the countywide library system and supported the LGBTQ community. Diane passed away in 1996 from cancer and Gerald passed away a few years later in 1999. This bridge is not very big. You can drive or walk over it. There is a sign that says fishing and crabbing from the bridge is prohibited. The bridge has really nice antique looking light fixtures lining it which was what drew me to it. Once you cross over into Wilton Manors, Island City Preserve Park is only a few blocks away.

Did you know there is an important archaeology site sitting in plain site in Parkland? I was…read morepassing through and noticed a historic marker on the side of the road that is part of the Historical Marker Program, one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular and valued public history programs. The markers raise 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 schools, forts, roads, battlefields, cemeteries, churches, historic districts, buildings, and archaeological sites like this one. Historic marker F-1184 was installed in 2021 by the City of Parkland, Parkland Historical Society, and the Florida Department of State. Margate Blount Archaeology Preserve is a park that may not look like much at first glance but its value lies beneath the surface. This site was discovered in the 1940's and provides important information about the life of the Tequesta, an indigenous people who inhabited southeast Florida from Boca Raton to Key West, and in the Everglades. They worshipped the sun and lived on fish, shellfish, berries and small game and were well adapted to the environment of South Florida. They thrived for 2,000 years until they were victims of war and disease brought by Europeans in the 1500's. On this five acre site resided a village, a ceremonial burial mound, and middens, a kind of ancient garbage dump filled with the remnants of daily life. This site is believed to hold the largest number of prehistoric graves in Broward County. In 1940 farmer and later Parkland founder and its first mayor, Bruce Blount noticed what looked a burial mound on his property. In 1959 while digging a canal a bulldozer struck the mound revealing a wooden crypt filled with skeletal remains that spilled out. One man was buried with his canoe paddle. Archaeologist Wilma B. Williams led the first formal excavation of the site and she named it for the town of Margate since Parkland did not exist yet at the time and for the owner of the land, Blount. Williams was aided by volunteers who later formed the Broward County Archaeological Society. In 1986, Gypsy Graves led additional studies of the site. Along with Sonny Cockrell, the two archaeologists recovered thousands of artifacts cementing the significance of the site. On this site it was discovered that there is a black dirt midden 52 meters by 56 meters and a burial mound measuring about 13 by 19 meters. The midden contains layers of shells, bones, and ash which were the results of daily activity. The site has yielded 4,000 pottery shards, 108 shell tools, 113 bone artifacts, and skeletal remains with wooden burial implements. Also recovered were bone artifacts consisting of drilled shark vertebrae and teeth, bone points and knives, beads, and a drilled alligator and human tooth. Rock pendants made from materials that were not found locally indicate that the people here were trading and traveling to other places. Pottery found here has been dated to a range from the 500 BCE to 750 CE, while other pieces found were more recent to the 17th or early 18th century. Later finds included musket balls and gunflints, suggesting European contact in the 1700's and 1800's. If you visit the site you will see a field and a few trees. The city wants the actual midden and burial site to remain unmarked to protect them from digging. Many of the artifacts discovered here have been given to Broward College. Parkland hopes to eventually bring these items back to the city and open a Tequesta museum. In the meantime you can see Tequesta artifacts and learn more about these fascination ancient people at the free Plantation Historical Museum.

Sometimes you're driving by and something makes you stop. I was traveling through the historic…read moreSistrunk neighborhood of Ft. Lauderdale, named for Fort Lauderdale's first Black doctor, when I spotted an interesting sign on the corner that seemed out of place. I had to take a closer look. Upon closer examination, I learned that this bronze memorial honors John H. Hill II, a local millionaire. He was a prominent figure in the early development of Broward County, Florida. Hill was born in 1879, and he moved to Florida with his family, where he became involved in various business ventures in the late 19th century. He began purchasing real estate and investing in the area, which attracted more people to come. This part of Fort Lauderdale was a lively entertainment scene in the 1930s for African American entertainers. John Hill II owned the Windsor Club, where famous performers like Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington appeared. During the days of segregation, they--along with Black athletes who played for the New York Yankees--also stayed at the ornate Hill Hotel, built in 1946 on this corner. John Henry Hill II was the first African American millionaire in Fort Lauderdale, and he owned a number of businesses, including the Hill Hotel. In the mid-1980s, many of the businesses once owned by Mr. Hill in Dorsey Riverbend, Sistrunk, and the Northwest Redevelopment area were acquired by the City of Ft. Lauderdale. The city planned to use these properties to revitalize and propel the neighborhood into its next chapter. To honor Mr. Hill's many accomplishments and civic contributions to the city, this landmark was installed by the Ft. Lauderdale City Commission near the site of the former Hill Hotel. I really enjoyed learning about Mr. John H. Hill. It's amazing that he was such an accomplished businessman during segregation, when African Americans had far fewer opportunities. His love for this community lives on.

I haven't been down to the Riverwalk area in some time. While visiting the new art installation…read moreThrive, I spotted this new memorial next to the New River that I had never noticed before. You can find it on the New River near Southwest First Avenue and W. Las Olas Boulevard. The Riverwalk 9/11 Monument was dedicated by Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantilis on September 11, 2020. The memorial contains a PATH rail segment from a subway station that was opened in 1909. PATH transit employees cleared the train and the station of passengers after the first plane struck the North tower before the station was buried from under the wreckage of the World Trade Center. Other path trains and stations from outside the disaster zone were instrumental in taking out survivors and transporting in first responders. It took two weeks to dig out the station and reveal the lone empty train left there. Two years later a temporary station was constructed on the site. The memorial is made up of three granite support pillars lift the rail up so it points toward the sky. The pillars represent the support of Manhattan. At night the monument is illuminated to suggest hope coming out of the dark. You can honor a loved one lost or support the memorial by purchasing an engraved brick for the walkway surrounding it. I love to see new things happening in this area. This area has been dead for so long and now there is a new luxury condo, new restaurants, new art, and the fun Wharf. As someone who grew up seeing the twin towers from my town, it is always meaningful to me when I see a memorial. It's our job to make sure the next generation also knows what it means.

Across from the Wharf at Riverwalk is a 9/11 monument reflecting the beautiful Florida sun along…read morethe waterfront. At 9:20 am on September 12, 2001, the last passengers were picked up from a subway station below the World Trade Center in New York City. On display here is a section of PATH rail retrieved from the wreckage of the subway station. This monument honors all the lives lost that tragic day, their families and first responders. NEVER FORGET

Against my better judgement, I stood near the railroad tracks to get a head on picture of the giant…read morerusted bridge in its upright position allowing boats to pass along the New River. Newly constructed in 1978 but original bridge was there in 1912. Lots of historic landmarks on the west side of this bridge on the River Walk Linear Park including the British Admiralty Anchor and Riverwalk Bricks.

The Florida East Coast Railroad Bridge is a single span that crosses from the North to South banks…read moreof the New River. On the southeast side is Apex Marine and Pirate Republic. On the north side is Riverwalk and the historic district of Fort Lauderdale. Three railroad bridges have spanned here, the current one since 1978. When the bridge is down boats cannot pass through. The Florida East Coast railroad crosses the bridge on the rails. Boaters who are held up by the bridge might be interested to learn that the reason the railway cuts through Ft. Lauderdale is due to pioneer Mary Brickell. When Henry Flagler was building the railroad he was following the Atlantic coastal ridge. It would have taken him through through Collie's hammock which was owned by Mary Brickell and she planned to develop a luxury neighborhood. She said no to Flagler so the railroad runs east and then at Sunrise Boulevard it moves west across the New River in downtown. Flagler's bridge was built in 1895 and was one rail across the river. In 1925 another single track bridge was installed. In 1978, they put in a new 2 rail line bridge and the trains that crossed were strictly freight loads. Commuter trains have since been added but it is always a balance between the needs of the trains to get across the river and the boats going down the river. The bridge closes quite often. I saw it close twice while waiting for the Day of the Parade to begin. At one point the parade got cut and had to wait and while the train went through. The bridge is downtown landmark and it is cool to see the trains racing so close to the water. It is very important to note that the bridge is not open to pedestrian traffic. In 1992 a bridge tender called for rescue of a 24 year old man who was caught on the bridge when it began going up. now the bridge is controlled remotely. In 2010 Lynn University senior Kyle Conrad was crossing the bridge with his friend to get to a party on the other side of the river. The bridge went up trapping them in the air and Kyle fell and sustained head injuries which eventually killed him. His friend sustained back and ankle injuries. When the bridge is in the open position it is 70 to 75 feet in the air. The bridge is not intended for anyone to cross and there are signs warning of this.

When you are sunbathing on the beach it is hard to think of German U Boats circling the waters off…read morethe coast but during WWII the terror of an attack was real for the people living in Florida. An order in 1942 by then Governor Spessard L. Holland, forced everyone living on the east coast to black out their windows, streetlights, and car headlights. Direct light from shore could create silhouettes of the Allies' supply ships making them easy targets for the German submarines to take down. Occasionally you will come across a marker from this time period like this historical marker commemorating the Silver Thatch Beach Patrol. The marker is located in Pompano Beach across the street from the Intracoastal. The Silver Thatch Beach Patrol was a mounted patrol that searched for spies trying to come ashore in the area. They also looked for U-Boats in the water that could attack the shipping lane. The threat was very real. America lost over 100 military and merchant ships between 1942 and 1943 and the Sanborn Wall plaque in Boca Raton marks the site of a house where German spy activity was discovered. Men on horseback would travel from the Hillsboro Inlet to Port Everglades in 8 hour shifts. In 1942, the patrol took over Silver Thatch Inn built in the 1930's by the Jelks family on A1-A and made it their headquarters. The Jelks were one of the first beach pioneer families and they first came to the area in 1904. Paddocks and corrals for the horses were built behind the hotel. Sometimes during their patrols the men would find parts of ships and bodies washed up on the beach. The patrol was decommissioned in 1945 and the hotel was returned to civilian use. In 1954 the Pompano Bath and Tennis Club was built on this site. In 1972 the hotel was torn down and replaced by the Silver Thatch Atlantic Plaza. The marker number is F-491 and it was erected in 2002 by the Florida Historical Society and the Florida Department of State. Reading this marker reminded me of how past Floridians have pulled together to get through hard times. Even though it can seem bleak with the all of the restrictions from the virus and businesses closing, like the Floridians before us we will get through this too.

Most historical sites in Florida that I've seen cover the 1800's and later. This site honors a…read morerelatively recent World War II location. During the War, the long coast of Florida was vulnerable to attack by the Germans. This location in Pompano Beach was the site of the Silver Thatch Inn. Like many hotels in the area at the time, it was taken over by the military. Here was housed what became the Coast Guard's Silver Thatch Beach Patrol unit from 1941-1945. They later built on adjacent stables and paddocks for the horses. The unit included men with prior experience with horses. The men on horseback carried sidearms and patrolled an area from the Hillsboro Inlet to Port Everglades. They monitored German U-boat activity and protected this area of Florida. The hotel was torn down in 1972. There are now several condos bearing the name Silver Thatch.

The Gil Blas Anchor is a piece of history mounted in Roy L. Rogers Family Park also known as…read moreHillsboro Inlet Park. The anchor came from a Spanish merchant brigantine, a two mast square rigged cargo ship, the Gil Blas, which was driven aground by a September hurricane in 1835. The ship was 90 feet long and carried 200 tons of sugar and cigars as cargo. The Gil Blas sailed from Havana and was bound for Spain before it beached near the Hillsboro Inlet. As the ship was driven ashore an anchor was thrown overboard offshore, and the hull was not badly damaged. On January 6th 1836 while William Cooley was salvaging the cargo in the middle of the Second Seminole War, Seminole Indians massacred his settlement on the New River and killed his wife and children. Most of the able-bodied men were with Cooley retrieving the cargo of the Gil Blas. After the attack the ship was left abandoned. In 1977, the Marine Archeology Advisory Council claimed to have found the remains of the Gil Blas north of Hillsboro Beach. The Marine Archaeological Council excavated the Gil Blas and another wreck right next it in the 80's and again in the 90's. Vone Research's program called Touching History, introduces high school students to Broward County's maritime history. Vone Research worked with Pompano Beach High School to conserve and identify the anchor believed to have come from the Gil Blas. The anchor was then put on permanent display in Hillsboro Inlet Park.

Not an official State of Florida Marker but a more local one, this plaque is embedded in a large…read moreboulder along A1A/Ocean Boulevard opposite Nassau Street. It points out some of the earliest developments of the area now known as Delray Beach. The marker reads, "Sara Gleason, Belle G. Dimick Reese and Ella M. Dimick Potter dedicated this beach to the public in 1899. In 1895 Sarah Gleason and her husband's business partner, W.H. Hunt, sold a parcel of land containing the beach area to William S. Linton for about $10.00 an acre except for a small portion then occupied by the Orange Grove House of Refuge (see marker north of Atlantic Avenue). A mortgage from William Linton, U.S. Congressman from Michigan who was promoting a town here called Linton, secured $3,000 of the purchase price. At the end of 1895, civil engineer E. Burslem Thomson drew a plat describing the Town of Linton. The plat, filed by William Linton and the Model Land Company during 1896, contained the first dedication for public use of what is now this mile-long municipal beach. When William Linton defaulted, the mortgage was foreclosed, half to Sara Gleason and half to the heirs of W.H. Hunt, his granddaughters Belle Reese and Ella Potter. These three women filed a replat dedicating the area east of the ocean beach lots and "Ocean Road" to the public in 1899." The marker was erected in 2008 by the Delray Beach Historical Society and the Robert Neff Family. There is metered street parking along A1A and a parking lot at Anchor Park. "Gleason" Street is the next one over from A1A. "Linton" Blvd is the main route through Delray Beach. [Review 978 of 2024 - 1854 in Florida - 22006 overall]