Some historians have surmised the catastrophic Miami hurricane actually ushered in the later and wider economic crash of 1929. This being so as so many northern wealthy investors had heavily leveraged themselves in very speculative land purchases in south Florida, losing their fortunes in the ensuing hurricane event of 1926.
On a Personal Note... I’m a native Floridian, born 1950, St. Francis Hospital, Miami Beach. As a youngster of five, in 1955, my then recently emigrated Sicilian grandmother related to me how she... new to Miami, experienced the storm of 1926. In her best English she described the storm as “bad one.” To this day I recall the expression on her face, even then understanding “bad one” was an understatement.
Thank you, Casey. Very interesting and highly informative article! You give a unique perspective on how the 1926 Hurricane affected the downtown business community. It goes beyond the Bay shoreline dramatics to demonstrate that this powerful storm could devistate even the most unlikely downtown structures.
Some historians have surmised the catastrophic Miami hurricane actually ushered in the later and wider economic crash of 1929. This being so as so many northern wealthy investors had heavily leveraged themselves in very speculative land purchases in south Florida, losing their fortunes in the ensuing hurricane event of 1926.
On a Personal Note... I’m a native Floridian, born 1950, St. Francis Hospital, Miami Beach. As a youngster of five, in 1955, my then recently emigrated Sicilian grandmother related to me how she... new to Miami, experienced the storm of 1926. In her best English she described the storm as “bad one.” To this day I recall the expression on her face, even then understanding “bad one” was an understatement.
Thank you, Casey. Very interesting and highly informative article! You give a unique perspective on how the 1926 Hurricane affected the downtown business community. It goes beyond the Bay shoreline dramatics to demonstrate that this powerful storm could devistate even the most unlikely downtown structures.
My father was about 3 years old then but never talked about this particular Miami storm.
I often wonder if this is the storm Donald Justice referred to in his "Miami of Other Days"
"Aquarium of the little grounded yacht!"
The Southern Italian side of my family had not quite arrived in '26.
Mr. Mauro's comment is extremely interesting! I never thought of that.