Florida Historical Society

Florida Historical Society The Florida Historical Society is the oldest cultural organization in the state, and the only state-w Other hours by appointment.
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Today in Florida History September 7, 1962!The Spanish Trail Playhouse opened its curtains for the first time with “Sout...
09/07/2026

Today in Florida History September 7, 1962!

The Spanish Trail Playhouse opened its curtains for the first time with “Southern Exposure”. The idea for the Spanish Trail Playhouse started when four locals had a dream of bringing live theatre into the little town of Chipley Florida. In the fall 1968, after 7 seasons, the theater closed its curtains for the last time. In August of 2006, a campaign was started to revive the defunct Playhouse. Less than three years later, after fundraisers and renovations, the Spanish Trail Playhouse reopened in its new permanent home, the Historic Chipley High School Auditorium

Today in Florida History September 6, 1954!Governor Charley Johns presided over the opening of the two-lane Sunshine Sky...
09/06/2026

Today in Florida History September 6, 1954!

Governor Charley Johns presided over the opening of the two-lane Sunshine Skyway toll bridge over Tampa Bay. This bridge was Florida’s highest when it was opened. On May 9, 1980, a phosphate carrier toppled the main span of this bridge, causing 35 people to plunge to their deaths. A new bridge was constructed (1982-1986) to replace it. (Cost-$244 million!) The vertical clearance of the latest bridge is 175 feet and spans more than 1200 feet of water.

Today in Florida History September 5, 1957!The novel "On the Road," by Jack Kerouac, was first published. At the time, K...
09/05/2026

Today in Florida History September 5, 1957!

The novel "On the Road," by Jack Kerouac, was first published. At the time, Kerouac was living in a small cottage in the College Park area of Orlando. It was also the place he typed the original manuscript of his sequel, “Dharma Bums.” Although it was long part of College Park lore that Kerouac had been in residence, it wasn’t until 1997 that the exact location of the property was discovered, and by that time, it was in a state of disrepair. The Kerouac House, as it has come to be known, is now a living, literary tribute to one of the great American writers of the twentieth century. The house is currently home to a writer-in-residence program, hosting more than 50 writers to date. For more information, check out their website The Kerouac Project.

9/4 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!1948 – The Annual Lipton Cup sailboat race was held in ...
09/04/2026

9/4 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1948 – The Annual Lipton Cup sailboat race was held in Pensacola Bay on this date. The race was begun in 1920 and used “Fish class” wooden sailboats originally designed by Rathbone DuBuys in New Orleans. The event became very popular in Pensacola. The Pensacola Yacht Club, originally formed in 1908, won the first Lipton Cup Challenge in 1920, and remained a top-level team, even after moving into newer fiberglass designs.

Julia Tuttle is widely known as “The Mother of Miami,” but that title should be shared with Mary Brickell. Coming up on ...
09/03/2026

Julia Tuttle is widely known as “The Mother of Miami,” but that title should be shared with Mary Brickell. Coming up on “Florida Frontiers: The Weekly Radio Magazine of the Florida Historical Society” we’ll discuss the book “Orange Blossom 2.0.” We’ll talk about Spain in the American Revolution, and the history of remembering the Civil War in Orlando. Check your local NPR schedule, listen as a podcast, or online at https://myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/radio/programs.

9/3 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!1935 – A $5 million allocation for the cross-Florida sh...
09/03/2026

9/3 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1935 – A $5 million allocation for the cross-Florida ship canal was announced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on this date. The canal would have connected the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico, which proponents argued would cut down on shipping costs and be safer than traveling through the Florida Straits. Although the idea of a cross-peninsular canal was first theorized as early as the sixteenth century, it was not until President Roosevelt allocated funds as an economic recovery project that any real construction began. Almost immediately, however, serious environmental concerns were brought forth. Construction stalled over the course of the next few decades until President Nixon finally halted the project in 1971. Official cancellation occurred in 1991, after $74 million had been spent on the project, which was approximately 28 percent completed by that time. Sections of the canal still exist today, and part of the planned right of way across the state became the Majorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway in 1998, providing natural hiking and biking trails.

9/2 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!1935 – The infamous “Labor Day” hurricane made landfall...
09/02/2026

9/2 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1935 – The infamous “Labor Day” hurricane made landfall near Craig Key in the Florida Keys on this date. It was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, making landfall as a Category 5 storm with winds exceeding 156 mph. A ten-car evacuation train sent from Homestead, carrying many World War I veterans who had been working in the Keys with the Civilian Conservation Corps, was swept off the tracks by storm surge on Upper Matecumbe Key, killing many of them. Nearly 500 deaths were attributed to the storm, although the actual number was probably much higher. Much of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Overseas Railway was destroyed by the storm and never rebuilt. Author Ernest Hemingway visited the veterans’ camps shortly after the storm and wrote an article entitled, “Who Killed the Vet,” which placed the blame on the government for sending the workers to the Keys during hurricane season. A monument to those killed in the storm was erected in Islamorada and unveiled in 1937.

9/1 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!1948 – National Airlines began scheduled flights from P...
09/01/2026

9/1 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1948 – National Airlines began scheduled flights from Panama City-Bay County Airport on this date. National Airlines was founded by George T. Baker in 1934 and was originally headquartered in St. Petersburg. The company moved their headquarters to Jacksonville in 1939 and expanded passenger service from Miami to New Orleans, with international flights to Cuba. With the advent of pressurized airliners, National expanded its reach to the east coast, and began transcontinental flights to California. They also moved their headquarters once again, this time to Miami in 1946. The company became a major player in the airline industry throughout the following decades, and was eventually purchased by Pan Am in 1980.

8/31 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!1906 – Elizabeth Hutchinson Broward, eighth child of G...
08/31/2026

8/31 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1906 – Elizabeth Hutchinson Broward, eighth child of Governor and Mrs. Napoleon Broward, became the first child born to a sitting Governor of Florida on this date. She was born in the Brown House on Monroe Street in Tallahassee. The eventual demolition of the Brown House helped spur the modern historic preservation movement in Tallahassee

8/30 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!1984 – The Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Kenne...
08/30/2026

8/30 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1984 – The Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center on its first mission (41-D), to deploy three communications satellites on this date. Since that inaugural flight, Discovery flew 149 million miles during 39 missions and completed 5,830 orbits of the earth, during 365 days in space spanning a 27-year career. Discovery flew more flights than any other orbiter. In 1990 Discovery carried the Hubble Space Telescope into space, and provided both the second and third Hubble servicing missions in 1997 and 1999. Discovery was the first orbiter to undergo Orbiter Major Modification (OMM) at the Kennedy Space Center. Discovery made its final touchdown at Kennedy Space Center on March 9, 2011.

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Cocoa, FL
32922

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Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm

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