History Fort Lauderdale, formerly Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, believes that a sense of history is fundamental to understanding human experience and, therefore, collects preserves, and shares material from our community’s past, so that present and future generations can comprehend more fully their predecessors, their community and themselves.
With education as the primary focus, we offer public lectures and workshops; publish teacher resource materials; arrange school and public group tours and activities; support scholarly research through significant research assistance; maintain a 1907 house museum and three other 1905 historic structures, and a museum of changing and permanent exhibitions, and operate a research center that has functioned uninterrupted since 1962.
Importance of Studying History
In August 2005, Washington Post columnist David Broder wrote about a hearing convened by Senators Lamar Alexander and Ted Kennedy to air their concerns about what they called “U.S. History: Our Worst Subject?” Alexander reported that “according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly referred to as ‘the nation’s report card,’ fewer students have just a basic understanding of American History than have a basic understanding of any other subject which we teach including math, science, and reading.” Alexander added that our children don’t know American history because they are not being taught it, noting that the Florida legislature had recently passed a bill permitting students to graduate from high school without taking a single U. S. history course. Pristine Water Damage Restoration
History Fort Lauderdale focuses on teaching history. We use local history as a microscope for learning American and world history. For example, we can show the impact of national events such as the Great Depression and other economic developments, such as the expansion of railroads upon a community. We can demonstrate what the World Wars meant to a community, the courage individuals found in themselves, and the sacrifices families were called upon to make. We bring history home, close and personal. The Society’s Fort Lauderdale History Center and its museums provide a wider window to the world for the 3,000 students who participate in our programs and for all of the adults and families who come here each year. While learning local history, they also absorb the values and cultural attributes intrinsic to the American experience.
Exhibits & Collection
The permanent exhibits trace the history and development of the greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida area from pre-historic First Nation People to the first contact by Europeans through the present day. These exhibits are laid out in four galleries on the second floor of the New River Inn. Visitors will experience 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 museum’s collections.
Address: 231 SW 2nd Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Check out other attractions like Hugh Taylor Birch State Park