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  • Florida History Today
    • TB Times: St. Augustine coming to grips with civil rights history
    • Strawberry Festival organizers collecting material for new history book
    • Tarpon Springs' Greektown added to National Register as Traditional Cultural Property
    • Volunteers begin cleanup of historic Ocala cemetery
    • Jax museum presents 'Megalodon,' biggest-ever shark
    • Proposed museum switch generates anger in St. Pete
    • Report: Ocala's original cemetery lying in ruins
    • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seeking camera-wielding Elvis fans
    • Service of Florida Jews in World War II focus of new WLRN doc
    • Seventeen honored for Big Bend preservation efforts
    • Long dresses, long pants, no shorts: Life before AC was uncool
    • Sunken shipwrecks are being turned into "parks" off Florida coast
    • Run-down Dunedin hotel to be rebuilt in same architectural style
    • Painting at Ringling Museum leads scholar to discover slavery roots of Spanish painter Juan de Pareja
    • Hampton Inn in downtown Bradenton gets state historic preservation award
    • Civil War re-enactment draws criticism in Holly Hill
    • New documentary spotlights Anna Maria Historic Green Village
    • Tampa-area NAACP launching effort to save historic rooming house
    • Ride on "America's Movie Train" this weekend in Ocoee, Winter Garden
    • Tampa's historic Kress building set for reimagination
    • 67-year-old shipwreck off Florida identified
    • Florida History Today - Project studies South Florida native communites
    • Florida History Today - Tarpon Springs halts Sponge Docks upgrades
    • Florida History Today - Compromise reached on Tequesta circles preservation
    • Florida History Today - Sears homes remembered in Sanibel
  • On this day in Florida history - August
    • Aug. 15, 1887 - Eatonville becomes one of first all-black towns in U.S.
    • Aug. 13, 2004 - Hurricane Charley kicks off unusually active 'cane year
    • Aug. 12, 1981 - Developed in Boca Raton, first PC released by IBM
    • Aug. 11, 1987 - Santeria church vows to sacrifice animals despite Hialeah ban
    • Aug. 10, 1981 - Tragic discovery confirms death of missing Adam Walsh, 6
    • Aug. 9, 1956 - Reporters look down noses covering Elvis in Daytona Beach
    • Aug. 8, 1896 - Cross Creek, Yearling author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings born
    • Aug. 6, 1868 - Great Seal of the State of Florida adopted by Legislature
    • Aug. 5, 1763 - Britain takes over Pensacola, expands slavery over two-decade Fla. rule
    • Aug. 4, 1842: U.S. gives free Florida land to settlers willing to fight Seminoles
    • Aug. 1, 1939 - Florida Highway Patrol formed; to begin with 60 troopers
  • On this day in Florida history - July
    • July 31, 1962 - Actor, tax evader Wesley Snipes born in Orlando
    • July 30, 1956: Delta Burke, star of tabloids and television, born in Orlando
    • July 28, 1896: With railroad into town, city of Miami incorporated
    • July 27, 1816: U.S. forces obliterate 300+ free blacks, Indians at 'Fort Negro'
    • July 26, 1876 - Daytona incorporated, named after founder Matthias Day
    • July 25, 1884 - St. Petersburg Times debuts as West Hillsborough Times
    • July 25, 1957 - Country star, actress Pam Tillis born in Plant City
    • July 23, 1836 - Cape Florida Lighthouse attacked by Seminoles
    • July 22, 1964 - First 536 home lots sold in new city of Coral Springs
    • July 21, 1821 - St. Johns and Escambia become first two Florida counties
    • July 20, 1969 - U.S. astronauts walk on the moon
    • July 19, 1952 - Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins is born; stardom and tragedy await
    • July 18, 1940 - Winners of St. Pete mayor's safety slogan contest announced
    • July 17, 1821 - Spain officially transfers Florida to United States
    • July 16, 1943 - Former 'Canes, Dolphins, Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson born
    • July 15, 1997 - Killer gigolo guns down Gianni Versace at South Beach mansion
    • July 14, 1921 - Florida's most famous 'cracker cowboy' dies at 58
    • July 13, 1927: Officials dump $250k in liquor into Gulf Stream
    • July 10, 1972 - First of two major party conventions opens in Miami Beach
    • July 9, 1957 - Pass-a-Grille and three other towns form St. Pete Beach
    • July 8, 2011 - Last space shuttle launched from Cape Canaveral
    • July 7, 1983 - 'Operation Everglades' drug bust rocks Everglades City
    • July 6, 2003 - 'Hillbillies' star Buddy Ebsen, raised in Orlando, dies at 95
    • July 5, 1928 - Elks begin arriving for 1st Florida national convention
    • July 4: Florida celebrates America's Independence Day
    • July 3, 1971 - Doors singer, Melbourne native Jim Morrison dies
    • July 2, 1961: Key West icon Ernest Hemingway dies; cats live on
    • July 1, 1951: St. Pete woman's burning death baffles investigators
  • On this day in Florida history - June
    • June 1, 1937 - Amelia Earhart leaves Miami to begin final voyage
    • June 2, 2008 - Bo Diddley, 79, dies at his home in Archer
    • June 3, 1961 - Arrest made in case that leads to 'right to an attorney'
    • June 4, 1939 - Jewish refugee ship turned away from Florida coast
    • June 5, 2013 - Zephyrhills woman, 84, claims $590 million Powerball jackpot
    • June 6, 1990 - Broward Judge rules 2 Live Crew album 'obscene'
    • June 7, 1928 - Two elections workers shot in Tampa ballot box heist
    • June 8, 1888 - First train rolls into terminus "St. Petersburg"
    • June 9, 1903 - Flagler's Breakers Hotel burns down in Palm Beach
    • June 10, 1991 - South Florida learns it will get new major league baseball team
    • June 11, 1953 - Sabal Palmetto palm becomes Florida's state tree
    • June 12, 1913: With first bridge, Miami Beach is open for business
    • June 13, 1974 - Askew appoints first female Cabinet member
    • June 14, 1966 - FSL's Miami and St. Pete set record for longest baseball game
    • June 15, 1822: City of Jacksonville founded, named after Andrew Jackson
    • June 16, 1955 - Judge Chillingworth and wife go missing
    • June 17. 1942 - German U-boat saboteurs land at Ponte Vedra Beach
    • June 18, 1983 - Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space
    • June 19, 1972 - Hurricane Agnes makes landfall in Panhandle
    • June 20, 2003 - Non-profit Wikipedia established in St. Petersburg
    • June 21, 1926 - Miami barbers don't want to be called 'chirotonsors'
    • June 22, 1990 - Florida bans thong bikinis in state parks
    • June 23, 1938 - Marine Studios, 'world's first oceanarium,' opens
    • June 24, 1987 - S. Fla's most famous resident, Jackie Gleason, dies at 71
    • June 25, 1981 - Dolphins QB Bob Griese retires after 14 seasons
    • June 26, 1964 - Governor orders extra police to riot-torn St. Augustine
    • June 27, 1964 - State tells Daytona: Stop price-gouging your tourists
    • June 28, 1911 - Big Cypress Indian Reservation created by President Taft
    • June 29, 1931 - Monticello hits 109 degrees -- hottest-ever for Florida
    • June 30, 1975 - Cher marries Daytona Beach's favorite son Gregg Allman
  • On this day in Florida history - May
    • May 1, 1562 - Jean Ribault arrives at St. Johns River, claims Florida for France
    • May 2, 1936 - Panama City Beach incorporated in Bay County
    • May 3, 1901 - Jacksonville burns to the ground
    • May 4, 1990 - Execution goes awry as flames, smoke shoot from head
    • May 5, 1961 - Alan Shepard becomes first American in space
    • May 6, 1965 - Rolling Stones play Clearwater, write 'Satisfaction' riff
    • May 7, 1940 - Voting machine shortages create long wait at polls
    • May 8, 1923 - Killings of work camp prisoners detailed in hearing
    • May 9, 1981 - Sinkhole swallows house, five Porsches in Winter Park
    • May 10, 1781 - Spanish Gen. Bernardo de Gálvez captures Pensacola
    • May 11, 1996 - ValuJet Flight 592 crashes into Everglades
    • May 12, 1997 - Tornado hits Miami, poses for photos, videos
    • May 13, 1955 - Jax fans chase Elvis after show, tear off his clothes
    • May 14, 1973 - Skylab launches new era of space study...and toys
    • May 15, 1947 - Florida State College for Women goes co-ed, renamed FSU
    • May 16, 1929 - Lake City mob lynches grocer after wife shoots chief
    • May 17, 1980 - Not guilty verdict triggers three days of rioting in Miami
    • May 18, 1955 - Educator Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune dies
    • May 19, 2004 - Drugstore chain owner Jack Eckerd dies at 91
    • May 20, 1913: Henry Morrison Flagler dies in his home at Palm Beach
    • May 21, 1956 - Police close beach after catching black, white teens talking
    • May 22, 1931 - Canned rattlesnake goes on sale from Arcadia
    • May 23, 1898 - School for Deaf & Blind issues first diplomas
    • May 24, 1931 - Writer develops Planet of the Apes storyline for Miami
    • May 25, 1961 - JFK challenges nation to land on moon within decade
    • May 26, 1845 - Florida holds first statewide election
    • May 27, 1965 - Mysterious land deal near Orlando revealed
    • May 28, 1935 - Now controversial "Old Folks At Home" becomes state song
    • May 29, 1967 - Woman jailed after 25 kids found in station wagon
    • May 30, 1989: Claude Pepper dies after 60 years of public service
    • May 31, 1539 - DeSoto comes to Florida, changes continent forever
  • On this day in Florida history - April
    • April 1, 1926 - Air Mail service begins in four Florida cities
    • April 2, 1513 - Juan Ponce de Leon lands in Florida
    • April 3, 2006 - Gators basketball team win first-ever national title
    • April 4, 1933 - NASCAR 2nd generation leader Bill France Jr. is born
    • April 5, 1925 - 'Great Miami Tornado' kills 5, destroys 250 homes
    • April 6, 1959 - Seminole Tribe votes to support building "Alligator Alley"
    • April 7, 1890 - Author, Everglades crusader Marjorie Stoneman Douglas born
    • April 8, 1923 - News of "lost" Tamiami trail blazers heats up
    • April 9, 1921 - Whites kicked out of West Palm Beach "colored" town
    • April 10, 1766 - John Bartram ends journey through Carolinas, Ga., Florida
    • April 11, 1986 - FBI shootout in Dade prompts cops' need for more powerful guns
    • April 12, 1981 - Space Shuttle launched for first time
    • April 13, 1951 - Marion County sheriff killed by forged check suspect
    • April 14, 1528 - Bumbling conqueror Pánfilo de Narváez lands near Tampa
    • April 15, 1896 - Henry Flagler's railroad arrives in Miami for first time
    • April 16, 1915 and 1917 - Aviation takes two steps forward
    • April 17, 1961 - U.S. launches failed Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba
    • April 18, 1957 - Florida to U.S.: Integration ruling unconstitutional
    • April 19, 1930 - First Publix store incorporated in Winter Haven
    • April 20, 1967 - Orange Juice becomes official state beverage
    • April 21, 1924 - NY's infamous 'Bobbed Haired Bandit' caught in Jax
    • April 22, 2000 - Elian Gonzalez seized in raid, returned to Cuba
    • April 23, 1982 - Keys secede from Union, create Conch Republic
    • April 24, 1965 - Orlando honors hometown astronaut with John Young Day
    • April 25, 1966 - Gov. Haydon Burns says his plane trailed by UFO
    • April 26, 1920 - Crop shippers seizing ice, creating shortage
    • April 27, 1969 - 1,000 students help during FSU admin building fire
    • April 28, 1985 - World's tallest sand sculpture built at Treasure Island
    • April 29, 1980 - U.S. braces for magnitude of Mariel Boatlift
    • April 30, 1915 - Broward County created, named after former governor
  • Hontoon Changling: The ancient owl carving that represents the wrong tribe
  • The Fierce Competition for Rollins College
  • The Hidden History of Everglades City
  • The Legend of Jose Gaspar
  • Burdine's: Sunshine Fashions & The Florida Store
  • Follow the Dollar - Horse breeding brings big money to Central Florida
  • In Cassadaga, the Seance Room is where they talk to the dead
  • St. Petersburg leaders worked overtime to promote their city
  • Paradise for Sale: Florida's Booms and Busts
  • Feature - The Curtiss-Bright Cities
  • Feature - Collected Works of South Florida pioneer Byrd Spilman Dewey
  • Facebook links - Spring Breakers riot in Fort Lauderdale
  • Features Index
  • Secret Florida life of the author of one of SF's greatest novels
  • Casey Stengel was a Daytona Beach troublemaker
  • True stories about The Real McCoy
  • Daytona's Deadliest Air Crash: Aug. 10, 1937
  • Blog - Zora Neale Hurston's Life on Florida's East Coast
  • Blog - Florida's Worst Freezes
  • Blog - Washtub baths and pot-bellied stoves in 1930s Florida
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  • Florida History Network - Announcements
    • Orange County History Center: 75th anniversary of Gone With The Wind
    • Adopt Your Duck at Dunedin History Museum
    • Mandarin Museum Welcomes Military Families as a Blue Star Museum
    • Orange County History Center seeking submissions for icons exhibition
    • Museum of Seminole County History announces Paranormal Tour
    • Florida Living History Inc. presents
    • Dunedin Museum Timeline - May 2014
    • School District of Palm Beach County - Hatian Heritage Month events planned
    • Fort Lauderdale Historical Society - launches effort to save 1905 New River Inn
    • Orange County Regional History Center honoring Judge Belvin Perry Jr. at John Young History Maker Awards
    • Fort Lauderdale Historical Society - New Exhibit shows how South Floridans Beat the Heat before AC
    • Orange County Regional History Center - Events and Exhbitions
    • Lake County Historical Society Grand Opening
    • Mandarin Historical Society - The Maple Leaf 150th Anniversary Exhibit
    • Miami Design Preservation League newsletter
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    • Amelia Island Museum of History wants to show off your collection
    • Dunedin Museum Timeline
    • Amelia Island Museum of History's Patron Perks Tour Going to Sapelo Island, Georgia
    • Historical Society of Central Florida's honors Judge Belvin Perry Jr.
    • Orange County Regional History Center events
    • Debunking the Pocahontas Myth
    • King Cromartie House preservation
    • Feature - Mandarin Historical Society seeks help to save one-room schoolhouse
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The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society Presents 
“Debunking the Pocahontas Myth” 

Ft. Lauderdale, FL (February, 17 2014) – Forget everything you know about the 
mythical story of Pocahontas and learn about the real woman and her real home – 
Florida.

The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society presents “Debunking the Pocahontas Myth” 
on Monday, March 10 at 6 p.m. at The New River Inn. The lecture features author 
Mae Silver and Merrilyn C. Rathbun, Research Director at the Fort Lauderdale 
History Center.

The real Pocahontas, her name lost to history, was the daughter of the chief of a 
Native American tribe near Tampa. The chief, who had developed a fierce hatred 
of the Spanish because of their brutal treatment of Native Americans, captured and 
threatened to kill Juan Ortiz, a Spanish explorer, until his daughter persuaded him 
not too. All this happened in 1528, almost 100 years before the Pocahontas story 
allegedly took place.

“Historians think it got picked-up and translated into the myth about Pocahontas,” 
said Silver. “The story just wove its way up the East Coast.”
Silver will use the story of Pocahontas as a metaphor to talk about some more recent
women, part of Fort Lauderdale’s history, who shared the same fate – their stories 
distorted, discarded, or dismissed.

Three of the women – Florence Hardy, Mary Brickell and Eula Johnson – are 
included in her book, Too Hot Too Hide.

“All these women were positive contributors to the development of Fort Lauderdale. 
I don’t get why they’re so often left out of our local history,” said Silver.

Florence Hardy, Fort Lauderdale’s First Female City Clerk

Florence Hardy, the first female city clerk of Fort Lauderdale, was renowned for 
providing information to anyone in the city, regardless of their political beliefs or 
affiliations. Many years ago, her peers had a plaque installed at the old city hall in 
her honor. Recently, that plaque was found, restored and Fort Lauderdale Historical 
Society members will display it in a place befitting Hardy’s legacy.

Mary Brickell, Land Owner

Mary Brickell and her husband, William, donated large tracks of their land to 
Henry Flagler so he could build his Florida East Coast Railroad. In exchange, Flagler 
agreed to build a train station in Fort Lauderdale – where the current Tarpon Bend 
restaurant is located. The station directly contributed to the growth of the city. 

“Back then, having a railroad station made you a boomtown. You don’t have to be 
Warren Buffet to understand that,” said Silver.

Eula Johnson, First Female President of the NAACP

Eula Johnson was instrumental in desegregating Fort Lauderdale and served as the 
first woman president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People. At great personal risk, Johnson led demonstrations and organized members 
of the African American community in Fort Lauderdale. “She was so brave. In my 
book, I refer to her as the Black Joan of Arc,” aid Silver. “She was an extremely 
important person in desegregating Fort Lauderdale. She was an incredible force.”

The New River Inn is located at 219 SW 2nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale

Mae Silver

A longtime member of the Fort Lauderdale Women’s Club and the Friends of the 
Broward County Libraries, Mae Silver is the author of nine books and many media 
articles. She is new to the area but brings 20 years of experience writing about Fort 
Lauderdale’s history, something many say doesn’t exist. But thanks to the efforts of 
historians like Mae, the early days of the “Venice of Florida” are well documented. Part 
of that documentation includes the stories of women of many colors, who helped shape 
the Fort Lauderdale that exists today. When people wonder where she gets all her 
information, Mae usually replies, “I am just curious and I have a big nose that is nosy. I 
ask questions. Most people love to talk about history, I just ask and listen.”

Merrilyn C. Rathbun

Originally from upstate New York, Merrilyn C. Rathbun moved to Fort Lauderdale 
in 1968 and studied printmaking at Florida Atlantic University from 1973 to 1977. 
She first worked for the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society as a museum attendant 
from 1979 to 1980 and as a research assistant in 1997. In 2000, she became the 
Director of Research Services for the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society and took 
over management of the society’s contract with the City of Fort Lauderdale Historic 
Preservation Board – positions she still holds today.

To RSVP for this FREE event, email education@fortlauderdalehistorycenter.org 
or call 954-463-4431. To learn more about events and programming at the Fort
Lauderdale Historical Society, visit www.fortlauderdalehistoricalsociety.org

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