Miami Beach began its rise to the top of the world’s resort scene when Carl Fisher, builder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, arrived prior to 1920. The lure of “The World’s Playground” was impossible to ignore for many, as hotels and restaurants flourished, even through the Great Depression. The images in this volume evoke poignant memories of Miami Beach’s great past, almost inevitable downturn, and return to life with the discovery of South Beach and a renewed interest in art deco. Among the vintage views, most of which have never before been published, are early Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue; Miami Beach High School; Parham’s; Junior’s; Wolfies; Pumperniks; the first hotel on Miami Beach, Brown’s; the Roney Plaza; the Fontainebleau; and, of course, the people who helped create this modern paradise.

Miami Beach (FL) (Images of America)

Arts & Photography

Bramson, Seth

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

The first edition of this now classic work, "Speedway to Sunshine" is the first official history of the FEC, told by Florida historian Seth Bramson, who has been associated with the railroad for more than 50 years. The book takes the reader behind the scenes as Henry Flagler and his associates construct the FEC, touching off the great Florida railroad and real estate boom, the subsequent bust and ensuing bankruptcy, and the vicious hurricanes and equally vicious sabotage attempts following the strike of 1963. The thrilling story of the construction and eventual destruction of the Key West Extension is told in detail. With rosters for steam and diesel locomotives and passenger equipment, timetables, advertisements, schematic diagrams of cars and track layout, and extensive end notes. Illustrated throughout with black and white and some color photos. This book will fascinate general readers, railroad buffs and anyone interested in the exciting history of the Sunshine State. 320 pages.

Speedway to Sunshine: The Story of the Florida East Coast Railway

Engineering & Transportation

Transportation

Boston Mills Press

The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts, founded in 1986 and now published by The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, explores themes relating to The Wolfsonian collection and to the visual language of objects. It conveys to readers the power of design and shows how design shapes and reflects human values and experience.  What is Florida? Where does its image come from, and what is involved in the selling of that image? The myths and realities of Florida unfold in these seventeen essays documenting the history and culture of the Sunshine State from 1875 to 1945. Since the time of Ponce de Leon, who sought the fountain of youth there, explorers, entrepreneurs, inventors, and visionaries have viewed Florida as a place where dreams come true. Florida's restorative powers were perhaps best expressed through the orange, which, though not native to the state, seduced myriad investors and served as a promotional icon. No other state mastered the art of propaganda—the ability to invent and promote itself—so well. Networks of trains, ships, and luxury hotels spawned a real estate boom and, with it, a distinctive architecture as fanciful as Araby, as classical as Mediterranean, and as enlightened as Modernist.  Published by The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, Miami, Florida.

The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts 23: Florida Theme Issue

History

Ammidown, Margot

Bing, Margaret

Leff, Cathy

Americas

Mit Pr

Burdine's: Sunshine Fashions & the Florida Store

Business & Money

Industries

History Press Library Editions

Speedway to Sunshine is the history of one of America's most exciting railroad lines, the Florida East Coast (FEC). It details how the FEC began and how it survived booms, busts, bankruptcy, sabotage, and hurricanes to become one of America's most admired rail lines. Illustrated with 400 photographs, this fascinating book chronicles the FEC's unrivaled rail-blazing events, from its inception, through the construction and destruction of the famous Key West Extension, to the line's post-war metamorphosis. 
 There are extensive appendices on train names, schedules, passenger agents, locomotive rosters, mail service, freight equipment, passenger equipment, intrastate connections, and track layout.

Captain William Fulford first sailed into the Miami area from his duty in the Atlantic in 1881 and found an untamed wilderness of swamp marshes and mangroves awaiting his arrival. He never left. Amid the lowlands and flood plains, Fulford found his higher ground on the banks of the Oleta River and acquired 160 acres with a land patent through the Homestead Act. A few decades later, newspaper magnate Lafe Allen purchased the land and named it Fulford-by-the-Sea with plans to build a perfect city, "? and the remarkable story of North Miami Beach was well underway. With the help of over two hundred rare and stunning photographs, local historian and lifelong Miamian Seth H. Bramson recalls the amazing story of North Miami Beach, from its humble and uncertain beginnings to the deeply rooted and forward-thinking community we see today."

From Farms and Fields to the Future:: The Incredible History of North Miami Beach

The History Press

Originally settled prior to the coming of the Florida East Coast Railway in 1904, Homestead became only the second incorporated municipality in Dade County in 1913. A land of rich soil steeped in agricultural heritage, the area soon grew into a marvelously diverse city of more than sixty thousand residents. The foundation laid by the railroad gave way to the aviation industry when the city became home to Homestead Air Force Base, now Homestead Air Reserve Base. The city has also dealt with adversity, rebuilding itself from the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Homestead is now the gateway to two national parks and is home to Homestead-Miami Speedway, a unique winery and a thriving business community. Join authors Seth H. Bramson and Bob Jensen as they detail the rich history of this South Florida gem.

Homestead, Florida:: From Railroad Boom to Sonic Boom (Brief History)

Jensen, Bob J.

A history of the founding and growth of the South's first great industrial enterprise.

The Plant System Of Railroads, Steamships And Hotels: The South's First Great Industrial Enterprise

Turner, Gregg M.

Management & Leadership

Garrigues House Pub

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