Most people know Fort Lauderdale as the Venice of America: beaches lined with palms, a yacht-filled Intracoastal, and endless sunshine. Yet the city’s real soul emerges when you look inland. Fort Lauderdale’s past is one of resilience and reinvention, spanning Seminole resistance, pioneer outposts, the Jazz Age, wartime aviation, and civil rights struggles.
This is a city where a 1901 trading post stands beside high-rise towers, where WWII hangars shelter artifacts of vanished squadrons, and where the sands of Fort Lauderdale Beach recall not just sunbathers but civil rights protests that changed the nation.
Here’s a guide to Fort Lauderdale’s hidden history—a journey beyond the beach into the neighborhoods, landmarks, and cultural sites that tell the city’s deeper story.
Pioneer Landmarks: Foundations of a City
Stranahan House (1901): Built as a trading post on the New River, it was both marketplace and family home. Frank Stranahan traded with Seminole neighbors; his wife, Ivy, established the area’s first school. Saved from demolition in the 1970s, today it’s a meticulously preserved museum where docents bring pioneer stories to life.
New River Inn (1905): Once Fort Lauderdale’s first real hotel, its sturdy concrete-block walls sheltered early travelers through hurricanes and boom cycles. Now the centerpiece of History Fort Lauderdale, its exhibits trace the city’s transformation from frontier to resort town.
Bonnet House (1920s): A colorful estate that fuses Caribbean-style architecture with lush gardens and original art. Built by artist Frederic Clay Bartlett and preserved by his wife Evelyn, it remains a snapshot of Jazz Age leisure on the Florida coast.
Heritage Neighborhoods: Living Time Capsules
Sailboat Bend: Fort Lauderdale’s only designated historic district. Its oak-shaded streets are lined with 1920s bungalows and pioneer cottages, a rare enclave where the city’s early residential fabric survives intact. Art studios and the Broward Center now anchor the district, blending history with culture.
Victoria Park: Developed during the 1920s land boom, its Mediterranean Revival and Craftsman homes reflect the optimism of the era. Remarkably, the neighborhood weathered the bust and the 1926 hurricane, remaining one of the city’s most charming historic enclaves.
Colee Hammock: One of the oldest neighborhoods, tied to some of the region’s first permanent settlers. With banyan-lined streets, a riverfront park, and eclectic architecture ranging from pioneer cottages to 1930s Spanish-style homes, it offers a glimpse of Old Florida serenity just steps from Las Olas.
Stories That Shaped the City
Wartime Fort Lauderdale: At the Naval Air Station (today a museum near FLL airport), thousands of WWII pilots—including 18-year-old George H.W. Bush—trained. This base was also the starting point of Flight 19, the “Lost Patrol” whose disappearance in 1945 sparked Bermuda Triangle lore. The restored Link Trainer Building now houses artifacts, model planes, and memorials to the airmen.
Old Dillard Museum: Founded in 1907 as the city’s first Black school, it became a center for education and community life. Today it preserves African-American history with exhibits on pioneers, cultural leaders, and the fight for equality.
Civil Rights Wade-Ins (1961): Led by Dr. Von D. Mizell and Eula Johnson, Black residents staged peaceful wade-ins at the whites-only Fort Lauderdale Beach. Their persistence desegregated the shoreline by 1962, reshaping the city’s future. Today, nearby Dr. Von D. Mizell–Eula Johnson State Park honors their courage.
Seminole Legacy: The city’s name recalls Major William Lauderdale, who built a fort here during the Second Seminole War (1838). The Seminoles never surrendered and remain “The Unconquered People.” Their history is embedded in the land, from early trading along the New River to today’s thriving Seminole Tribe enterprises across South Florida.
Cultural Anchors with Historical Depth
History Fort Lauderdale: A museum campus on the Riverwalk featuring the New River Inn, the King-Cromartie House, and a replica 1899 schoolhouse. Walking tours and exhibits connect the dots between pioneer days and modern Fort Lauderdale.
Stonewall National Museum & Archives: One of the largest LGBTQ+ archives in the country, housing millions of pages and thousands of artifacts. It underscores Fort Lauderdale’s role as both a vacation capital and a hub of cultural activism.
Broward Center for the Performing Arts: Opened in 1991 on a historic riverfront site, this theater complex is less about preserved walls and more about continuity—bridging past and present as the city’s cultural heartbeat.
How to Experience Fort Lauderdale’s Past
Walk the River: Guided and self-guided walking tours along the New River reveal the city’s earliest hotels, trading posts, and homes.
Cruise the Canals: The Jungle Queen Riverboat, in operation since 1935, still glides the waterways with narration about historic sites. Water Taxi rides also double as floating history lessons.
Step Into Neighborhoods: A casual stroll through Sailboat Bend or Colee Hammock feels like time travel—living history layered onto everyday streets.
Fort Lauderdale’s identity is more than its shoreline. It’s a city that rose from a Seminole war fort, grew through pioneer grit, transformed under the Jazz Age, served in wartime, and stood tall during civil rights battles.
Exploring these hidden histories adds depth to any stay—whether you’re a guest in a riverside rental or a family wandering Las Olas after dinner. Beyond the beach, Fort Lauderdale is a city of stories, preserved in homes, neighborhoods, and cultural landmarks that invite you to step into its past.
