Published in the Broward New Times
In a locale seemingly driven to pave over itself with the next big development, it’s hard to find appreciation for the past. Fortunately, for over five decades History Fort Lauderdale has been the city’s heritage cheerleader. October 1 heralds one of their most significant exhibits chronicling the Bryan family, unsung figures who helped carve an agricultural center out of Florida swampland and grow it into a city by the 1920s. Patricia Zeiler, executive director of History Fort Lauderdale said of the Bryans, “As you trace their story, you trace the story of this area.”
The tale begins with Philemon Nathanial Bryan who arrived in Florida after serving in the Confederate Army, eventually amassing extensive citrus holdings in Volusia County and even serving as mayor of New Smyrna. After his holdings were devastated in the Great Freeze of 1894-1895 he decided to head further south. The family relocated to the New River in 1895 where Bryan re-established orange groves and was hired by Henry Flagler to supervise 400 African American workers laying the railroad bed for the East Coast Railway.
It was a dangerous frontier at the time. “Consider how difficult the obstacles were to overcome…like malaria,” Zeiler said, adding, “It’s important to remember, 65-75 percent of this area was underwater. You could walk to the Everglades from where the museum sits.”
Photo courtesy of History Fort Lauderdale
Despite the adversity, the first train pulled into a boxcar-turned-station on Brickell Avenue on February 22, 1896, quickly spurring economic growth. The area was originally planned as the winter growing capital of the country, with everything from tomatoes and lettuce to oranges and pineapples grown here. “As far as you could see there would have been orange groves,” Zeiler said. Because of the intersection of the New River and the railway, produce could be loaded onto barges then reloaded on trains heading north.
From that start, the Bryans laid claim to all manner of Fort Lauderdale “firsts.” Philemon was an officer in the city’s first bank. With builder Ed King, the Bryans established the New River Inn made of newfangled hollow concrete block. They were responsible for the area’s first power plant, telephone service, ice company, and even radio station. Two of his sons, Reed and Tom were civic leaders. Reed proposed the city’s name and Tom fought to establish Broward County in 1915. They had fun along the way, “Tom had a big yacht and flew the area’s first seaplane. Reed had the area’s first automobile,” Zeiler said.
It was Keith Mitzner, late museum volunteer and author of Tom Bryan and Other Movers and Shapers of Early Fort Lauderdale who really championed the Bryan legacy. “He felt the Bryan story needed to be told,” said Sheila Brew, museum preparator. She went to work interviewing 3rd and 4th generation Bryan family members who eventually donated important artifacts for the exhibit.
Because the Bryans were so influential in establishing the city, the exhibit will become a permanent offering. Zeiler said, “We’re thrilled to present this comprehensive look at Fort Lauderdale’s founders and we’re proud to showcase these never-before-seen archival displays, personal effects, and stories.”
