Remembering Miami Pioneer William Burdine

Remembering a pioneer retailer who arrived in Miami just two years after its founding. William Burdine was the patriarch of what would become known as the Florida Store.

Cover: Portrait of William M. Burdine with the Burdine’s Store on Flagler Street in the background. Courtesy of Florida State Archives.

On February 1, 1911, the founder of Burdines Department Store, William Murrah Burdine, passed away at his home on Short Street in downtown Miami. Burdine, a confederate soldier during the Civil War, took a chance on a young city during the Spanish American War in 1898. He sent his son John to sell dry goods to the soldiers stationed in Miami and was pleasantly surprised when all of his merchandise sold out very quickly.

William Burdine chose to move his family permanently to Miami in August of 1898 according to an announcement posted in the Miami Metropolis. His store initially operated on Avenue D (later called Miami Avenue). However, the store location would later move to 12th street (later called Flagler Street). The name of his business was originally W.M. Burdine & Son. Many years later, Miami residents would know the store simply as “Burdines”.

Figure 1: Photograph from the McAllister Hotel looking over Avenue A, aka Short Street, in 1917. The residence on the corner, across from the pallets of wood, was the home of the Burdine family. Courtesy of Florida State Archives.

William Burdine had a life long struggle with illness. In the summer of 1904, the sixty year old Burdine entered a sanitarium in Summit, New Jersey, for an undisclosed illness. He recovered from that incident but had succumbed to his illness on February 1st of 1911. At the time of his death, his business was arguably Miami’s premier retail establishment.

To Read More about William Burdine and the Burdine Family, check out the two part series that Dr. Paul George published in Miami’s Community News publication:

• Roddey Burdine: “Merchant Prince,” Civic Leader, Part I

• Roddey Burdine: “Merchant Prince,” Civic Leader, Part II

Resources:

• Book: “Burdines: Roddy Burdine, His Family and their Namesake Store”, by Paul S. George.

• Miami Herald: “W.M. Burdine Died at Home in this City”, February 2, 1911.