Fort Lauderdale History Center facts for kids
The Fort Lauderdale History Center is a cool museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's run by the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society. This place isn't just one building; it's a whole group of historic spots!
One of the main buildings is the 1905 New River Inn. This used to be a hotel, but now it's the main museum. Inside, you can see cool displays, old items, and photos that show what life was like long ago. There's even a room set up to look like a hotel room from 1908!
You can also visit the 1907 King-Cromartie House. It's set up like a home from 1915 and you can take a guided tour. There's also an 1899 Replica School House. It was built in the 1970s to celebrate America's 200th birthday.
The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society also has a special library. Here, you can research the history of the Fort Lauderdale area. The museum used to be called the Old Fort Lauderdale Village and Museum.
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What the History Center Does
The Fort Lauderdale History Center wants to share the amazing history of the Fort Lauderdale area. They do this by researching, creating fun activities, and saving old items.
Their main goals are:
- To take good care of the region's history.
- To protect old buildings and collections.
- To be a central place for Fort Lauderdale's historic area.
- To help people learn about the community through cool exhibits and events.
- To help everyone appreciate the people who built this unique region.
Hoch Heritage Research Center
The Hoch Heritage Research Center is where visitors and local people can learn even more. It was built in 1949 as a post office building. Since 1978, it has been home to the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society.
At the Research Center, you can look through books, do research in history files, or even buy copies of old photos. The center has many different collections. These include old pictures, written papers, and recorded stories. They all help keep the history of Fort Lauderdale alive!
You can visit the Research Center Monday through Friday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. It's a good idea to make an appointment online before you go.
Amazing Collections
The Hoch Heritage Research Center has many collections. They focus on old items, maps, building plans, videos, recorded stories, scrapbooks, and newspapers. Two of their biggest collections, manuscripts and photos, can even be viewed online!
Manuscript Collections
These are some of the most valuable collections. They include many different topics. There are three main collections:
- The Stranahan Collection: This has items owned by two very important early citizens of Fort Lauderdale.
- The August Burghard Collection: This includes research materials gathered by one of Fort Lauderdale's first historians.
- The Dr. James Glenn Collection: This has information about his time as an agent for the Seminole Indian tribe.
The center is working to create detailed guides for all these collections.
Photograph and Image Collections
The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society has an amazing collection of photos. There are 400,000 images that show the history of Broward County! Besides photos, they also have many postcards and slides. Most of these pictures can be copied if you want them.
Cool Exhibits
The Fort Lauderdale History Center has three main exhibits that are always there. They are the King-Cromartie House, the New River Inn Visitor's Room, and the Panorama of The Past.
Panorama of The Past
The Panorama of the Past is a big exhibit with three galleries. It gives you a great overview of the entire history of the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. You can learn about early native people and Spanish explorers. You'll also see how the Florida East Coast Railway changed things. And you can even learn about the "Spring Break" craze from the 1960s!
Visitors will see lifelike displays and hear the voices of early Fort Lauderdale pioneers. You can step back in time with the help of many old items and pictures from the Historical Society's collections.
