Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Inc.

Exhibitions


	Now Open Digging Up History: An Archaeological Excavation of the Second Stranahan Store This small exhibition on the second floor of the New River Inn was done in collaboration with the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History. The display features artifacts found at the site of local pioneer Frank Stranahan’s second store in downtown Fort Lauderdale. It also teaches visitors about the process of conducting an archaeological excavation.

	Now Open City of Fort Lauderdale’s Centennial Traveling Exhibits These traveling exhibits are located on the second floor of the New River Inn. This is one of the few times that all four exhibits will be presented in the same place at the same time, and is an excellent opportunity for visitors to round out their knowledge of Fort Lauderdale’s past. The exhibits are available for installation at public venues. Interested groups should contact Shannon Vezina at (954) 828-4743 or svezina@fortlauderdale.gov.

Permanent Exhibitions
	Panorama of the Past This three-gallery exhibition aims to provide an overview of the entire history of the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. Topics and artifacts range from early native peoples and Spanish explorers to the Florida East Coast Railway to the Spring Break craze of the 1960s. Visitors will see life-like displays, hear the voices of Fort Lauderdale pioneers, and step back in time with the help of numerous artifacts and images from the History Center’s collections. Both out-of-town guests and native Fort Lauderdalians will learn something new about our city’s history.

	New River Inn Visitor’s Room, c. 1908 This exhibition, underwritten by Barbara Wells and the Riverside Hotel, depicts a typical room at the New River Inn in the early years of its operation. An audio pushbutton machine provides information about the Inn and its visitors over the years. See what the hotel room of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Johnson of Ulrichsville, Ohio, might have looked like during one of their many winter vacations to sunny Fort Lauderdale.

	King-Cromartie House Docent-led tours of the 1907 King-Cromartie House, our historic house, are available with paid admission to the History Center. The house is furnished as it might have looked in 1915 and provides a fascinating look at “pioneer life” in early Fort Lauderdale. An exhibit gallery on the first floor of the King-Cromartie House teaches visitors the history of the King family as well as the Junior League’s crucial role in saving this building from destruction in the early 1970s. The exhibit includes interactive question-and-answer components. It also displays photographs of the house as it was barged up the New River to its current location.

The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Inc. is a non-profit charity as defined within section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

This project has been financed in part with Historic Preservation grant assistance provided by the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State, assisted by the Florida Historical Commission.

Funding for this organization is provided by our members and by the Broward County Board of Commissioners as recommended by The Broward Cultural Council.

Site Redesigned By Zahra Jafferjee.