City of Plantation

A Time Before Development (Pre-1900)

Native Americans had been living in Florida for thousands of years before the first Spanish explorers journeyed to the southeastern region of North America. The Tequesta tribe inhabited South Florida from approximately 400B.C. to 1700A.D. They lived on the beaches and around the mouths of rivers and inlets. They were not considered to be a farming tribe, but they did consume various wild vegetation which was plentiful. The Tequesta made flour from the coontie root and also ate manatee, turtle, lobster and other fish. The Tequesta were considered to be great fishermen and boatmen. They made trips to places such as Cuba. The Tequesta buried their dead in specially built mounds. One such mound exists on the 14th hole at the Plantation Country Club, which was excavated in 1975 by Mrs. Wilma Williams. The excavation led to many interesting artifacts, including pottery, tools, and animal's bones and of course, human bones. Mrs. Williams stated in a Sun-Sentinel article that the Tequesta would eat their dinner as they were building the mounds and simply throw the animal bones and other items onto the ground and cover it with a layer of dirt. Over 40 bags of human skeletal parts were extracted from this mound. The 14th hole has been nicknamed "Funnee-Okko-Pokko" or in English, "Bone Heap".

After Ponce de Leon, other explorers and settlers came to the Florida region, the Tequesta tribe disappeared. The tribe had developed a hatred toward the European invaders, since the tribe had been lied to and enslaved. Some Tequesta were killed in wars with the Europeans and other Native American tribes. Many died due to diseases carried by the European explorers.

By the 1800s, most of the tribes had disappeared from Florida. The Creek tribe, who originally lived in Georgia and Alabama had a despise for Europeans as well. The tribe moved to the attractive land in the north Florida region. These transients were called Seminoles, which is the Creek word for "runaways". The Seminoles, unlike the Tequesta, grew corn and raised cattle, pigs and chickens. Before conflicts arose with European settlers, the Seminoles lived in wooden two-story houses that were either on water or near the water's edge. For fear of losing their homes due to the heightening conflict with the United States government, they built "chickees", which were built on stilts and had a palmetto thatched roof. Each family had its own group of these structures, which were located primarily at the water's edge.

Due to their constant moving and fleeing from warring factions, the Seminoles gave up their lands which were better suited for farming and raising domestic animals. They began to move further into the Everglades. They began to hunt and fish not only as a food source, but also for trading. They travel to a trading post by brining all their possessions with them, including pots, pans, dogs, chickens, etc. They would trade alligator skins, deer, raccoon, otter and other pelts for calico cloth, food items, traps and ammunition. The tribal hunters would travel throughout the Everglades for nearly six weeks. They dug out Cypress logs for canoes, some of which were 30 feet long. These log canoes were light enough to travel over the shallow waters of the Everglades.

Seminole War was a result of the US government trying to relocated Native Americans to reservations in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Some agreed to move out of Florida. One Seminole, Osceola (Asi-Yojolo) which means "Black Water", refused to move. He along with other Seminole warriors decided to make war against the settlers and force them out of their land. In response, the Tennessee Mounted Militia arrived and built the first fort in the area. The commanding officer was Major William Lauderdale. The fort was built opposite of the forks of the New River to prevent supplies from being imported from the Bahamas. The militia stayed for less than a year. Shortly thereafter, the fort was burned and destroyed. An artillery troop arrived and built a new fort for the Second Seminole War. The Seminole War lasted for seven years. After the war, Broward County was left virtually uninhabited other than by Seminoles for several decades.

In the 1860s, MA Williams did a survey from Lake Worth to the Biscayne Bay area. In 1876, the US government built five houses of refuge along the Atlantic coast in Florida. The house located in Fort Lauderdale was occupied by the "barefoot mailman", who carried mail from Palm Beach to Miami by traveling barefoot along the beach. He kept a canoe on the banks of inlets and would give paying individuals passage across the swampy route. Finally, in 1894, a stagecoach line began between Hypoluxo in Palm Beach County and Lemon City in Miami-Dade County. Before the turn of the century, Henry Flagler completed the Florida East Coast Railway to Fort Lauderdale. This led to more settlers coming into Broward County.

The Developing Years (Early 19th Century)

In 1906, the Army Corp of Engineers attempted to drain the Everglades and the New River. During this early 19th Century period, many large land sales occurred and residents were moving into the area, In 1911, a drainage district out of Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades was completed in Plantation. The Sewell Locks (wooden locks) were built to allow barges carrying produce to venture to and from the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee. Today, the locks are a national monument. Even through the 1920s, Broward County remained a frontier with little development and infrastructure other than the Florida East Coast Railway and Dixie Highway, which was barely two lanes. As the decade continued, so did the project to drain the Everglades and to create a canal system. These projects led to a 'land boom' in South Florida. The purchase of large amounts of property, mainly mangrove swamps, increased the property values. Unfortunately, the 'building boom' that was to follow was unsuccessful. To make matters worse, a severe hurricane (in point of fact, one of the worst to hit Broward County) destroyed and ravaged the existing buildings. Fortunately, the canal system and islands off Las Olas remained intact.

In 1931, the founding father of Plantation, Frederick C. Peters, and his family moved to South Dade County (modern day Miami-Dade County) from Missouri. They introduced the popular Florida Red Potatoes, which are remembered by the catchy slogan "Peter's Patent Potatoes Peel Pretty". As the family became more accustomed to the new Florida lifestyle, Mr. Peters developed an interest in cattle, predominantly Polled Herefords. This directed him to look for more space for grazing the cattle in undeveloped and relatively inexpensive land. He discovered that the Plantation area had a subterranean irrigation system consisting of layered muck sand and rock. This type of condition is ideal for plowing and the necessary cultivate for the growth of crops and grass. Broward County was still relatively uninhabited until the 1940s.

In the 1940s, similar to the rest of the nation, Broward County was experiencing radical changes due to World War II and the increased economy. People were attracted to the tropical climate and lifestyle of South Florida. Broward County was an ideal location, since it possessed undeveloped and inexpensive land and had a canal system. The current US 441, which connected Palm Beach and then, Dade County was isolated and far west of any development. Along the two-lane highway, "chickees" could be seen in the oak forests. Along the highway, signs advertised land for "$10 down, $100 a month". In 1941, Frederick C. Peters took advantage of the cheap land and bought 10,000 acres for $250,000. The area was practically undeveloped and large alligators, snakes and other wild animals inhabited the land. The land was partially drained due to the construction of the Holloway Canals, but there was not any facility for irrigation. Although the City of Plantation was not even a conception yet, the area was nicknamed Plantation because many large tracts of land were purchased by city dwellers, who called them "plantations". Also, the area had been called the Old Plantation Water Control District as a result of the construction of the irrigation and drainage district in 1911. The Peters family was instrumental in the discovery of "Plantation Pride". Plantation Pride is a variety of sorghum that is used as livestock feed worldwide. It was considered to be one of the contributors to the reduction of world starvation due to it being inexpensive and nutritious. It still remains in global use today.

"Out of the Wilderness" (1940s)

In mid 1940s, Peters hired an engineer to develop a water control system for the western part of the Peter's land holding. The water flowed to the North New River Canal by using gravity. Russell T. Pancoast was hired to assist Peters in developing master plan for a city. The first construction took place on East Acre Drive by Chauncey Clark, and his family members moved from Dade County. The original selling point was to entice people to buy "long acres", which were one-acre lots with 2/3 of the land dedicated to gardens and fruit trees. The plan was to create a co-op farmer's market" where residents could pool their produce and sell it for a profit. The property was selling for $200 an acre in the mid-40s. The dream was nearly devastated in 1947 when two hurricanes hit the area within a short span of one another. This led to high floodwaters that cut the Plantation development off from the eastern parts of Broward County. Armed soldiers were positioned on several dikes to ensure that others did not try to blow the dikes up to drain the flooded areas. If that occurred, the village would have been destroyed totally. Instead, Chauncey Clark, despite financial ruin, repaired or restored every home that was damaged at his own expense.

In 1949, the Plantation Homeowner's Association was formed by Dr. Abram Hoffman. They were considered the unofficial government of Plantation and lived and led by their motto, "Unity-Vigilance-Security". At that time, there were about 40 homes in the Plantation area. A country store, named Branches, was an intricate part of the town. People would come here to get their mail and visit with others. The area had no streetlights, telephones, paper or mail delivery and was surrounded by pastureland. The Plantation Woman's Club was created to pass along information and to welcome newcomers to the Plantation area. In the early 1950s, the Plantation Country Club was built to encourage the extension of Broward Boulevard to the west. Each hole was given a Native American name. This became the center of social life in Plantation.

"This City" (1953)

With a population of less than 500 and a budget of $1,288, the City of Plantation was born on April 30, 1953. The residents of Plantation incorporated to provide control over building and to keep other cities from coming in and taking over their area. The first Council Meeting was held on May 11, 1953 in an old feed warehouse near the intersection of East Acre Drive and Broward Boulevard. This site would be later used for the construction of the first City Hall, Fire Station and Police Department. Ellsworth D. Gage was the first Mayor of the City. According to the Homeowner's Association, the Association President would become the Mayor. The election method calls for the Mayor and two Council seats to be up for election, while the other three Council seats wait until two years after that election. The government was formed this way as to ensure that long range planning would be continuous. Elections are held on odd years; so that National, State and County elections are not in conflict. In the beginning, the elected officials did not have a salary.

This is a picture of the original Plantation City Seal. On the left, there is a Seminole. On the right, there is a pioneer. In the middle, there is a Cypress tree. Today, there are still native Cypress trees located in Plantation. The Latin phrase E Vasitate, Haec Urbs translates into Out of the Wilderness, This City. In 1963, 10 years after the city's founding, the seal was designed and made official. The seal was designed by A.T. Hardel, who was from the Riding Club of Atlanta, Georgia. He frequently visited the home of Mayor Estey.

Time to Organize (Mid to Late 1950s)

In 1955, the Police Department was organized as a result of the Council wanting to provide professional protection for residents. Previous to that decision, the Mayor at the time, S. Robinson Estey, had been a Deputy Sheriff for the Broward County Sheriff's Office. The Council hired Henry C. Donath at an annual salary of $4,200 to work 8-hour shifts and to be on call 24-hours a day. One year later, a second policeman was hired onto the force. In 1957, the Plantation Volunteer Fire Department was founded by residents. They held a Bar-B-Q to raise funds and later, the Council authorized the purchase of a 500-gallon front pumper. In 1956, the budget grew to $34,000 and the elected officials still were not paid. The city did not have any schools, so children were bussed to nearby Fort Lauderdale. Recreational activities were held at Holiday Park. In the summer of 1956, a recreational program was successfully introduced, since there were over 125 children in attendance. A new site was located for the City Hall, since they were running out of space in the warehouse. In the late 1950s, great changes were coming to Plantation. The Sunshine State Parkway, i.e. Florida Turnpike was opened. The mailing address was changed from Fort Lauderdale to Plantation around 1958. With the increase of population and development, the City Council wanted to ensure the aesthetics of Plantation. So, they passed an ordinance that prohibited identical homes from being built within 600 feet of one another. At that time, homes were valued from $17,000 to over $50,000.

The Realization (The 1960s)

The city continued to grow at a steady pace. The Parks and Recreation Department was formed along with the Plantation Athletic League (PAL). Hurricane Donna was the first to hit Plantation since before its creation. The protective services and all their equipment worked without problems. Furthermore, the pumps and equipment of the Old Plantation Water Control Corporation worked without hindrance. As the demand for public services increased, the need for more land for city facilities also grew. In addition to the newly built Community Center, a new building for the Library was built in 1968. The Community Center housed the Library for a few years and was used for various social events and recreational programs. Additionally, plans for a new City Hall were underway. Plantation was on a path to becoming a modern city that was known throughout the county for its "teamwork" and its philosophy of "Research, Plan and Do it right the first time." All of this led to an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and a new understanding that planning and strong leadership will pave the way for future growth.

A Time of Growth (The 1970s)

Even as Plantation rapidly grew, the warmth of the 1940s small village atmosphere remained. Thousands were moving into the area. The city annexed to the west. Even with this fast-paced growth, the City Officials were relentless in their quest to maintain a beautiful city. Zoning ordinances required green spaces around buildings and required buffer zones among differing types of structures. The park system continued to grow with the addition of the Deicke Auditorium and Central Park, which is a large complex featuring both baseball and football fields, a swimming pool and tennis courts. Plantation by this time had 25,000 citizens, and an end to annexation problems seemed in sight. The city stretched from one block east of State Road 7 to Flamingo Road, a distance of about seven miles (plus the area surrounding the Lago Mar Colony Country Club west to 136 Ave.), and from north of Sunrise Boulevard south to North New River Canal.

Plantation Today (1980s - 1990s)

The 1980's and 1990's was a time of great growth and development for what we call our "Dream City". In 1982, the population was approximately 50,000 and the budget was $64 million dollars. By the late 1990's, the population had increased to nearly 83,000 citizens. Today, we have 84,500 with 55 diverse cultures and major employers that include American Express, Motorola, Florida Power and Light, Plantation General Hospital and Westside Regional Medical Center. The city has one of the few municipal libraries in a county where most libraries are regionally operated. Although Plantation was born as a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, its charm, beauty of natural surroundings, and prime location near major roadways have caused it to grow into a flourishing city in its own right.