Week in History: September 17 - 23

Events that occurred during the week of September 17th through the 23rd in South Florida's history.

OTD: September 17, 1926 - Major Hurricane Makes Landfall in Miami

Front Page of the Miami Herald on September 20, 1926. This was the first edition of the Herald published after the hurricane made landfall on September 17th.

On September 17 - 18, 1926, a hurricane directly hit Miami Beach and then downtown Miami in the dead of night. The category 4 storm recorded 130 MPH sustained winds. Given the damage inflicted on the region, the hurricane is considered one of the most memorable hurricanes in South Florida history. Storms were not given names until decades later, so it is referred to as the Great Hurricane of 1926.

NE Third Avenue, aka Short Street, after the 1926 Hurricane made landfall. Courtesy of Florida State Archives.

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OTD: September 21, 1920 - City of Miami Strikes Deal with Estate of Henry Flagler

Biscayne Bay along the boulevard in 1920. The riparian rights were owned by Flagler’s East Coast companies prior to the sale to the City of Miami. Courtesy of Florida State Archives, photograph William Fishbaugh.

On September 21, 1920, the City of Miami reached a deal with the estate of Henry Flagler to purchase seven blocks of bay front, from NE Fourth Street to SE Second Street in downtown Miami, exclusive of the shoreline occupied by Elser Pier, to construct Bayfront Park. The city paid the Flagler Estate $1 million for this parcel of shoreline.

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OTD: September 22, 1899 - Miami City Hospital Opens

Friendly Society Hospital in 1911. Courtesy of Jackson Memorial Hospital.

On September 22, 1899, Miami City Hospital, known as the Friendly Society Hospital at the time, opened at Fourth Street and The Boulevard, which is today's NE 8th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, located across from the FEC Pier in downtown Miami.

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OTD: September 22, 1915 - City of Miami Beach Buys Land for Lummus Park

Article in Miami Metropolis on September 22, 1915.

On September 22, 1915, Ocean Beach Realty Company, which was owned and operated by James E and John Newton Lummus, sold the Town of Miami Beach a mile long stretch of ocean front land for a park for $40,000. The land for the park extended from between Fifth and Sixth streets north 4120 feet to Fifteenth Street, with an average width of 250 feet. The park was named Lummus Park as part of a resolution, passed on July 28, 1921, to honor Miami Beach's first Mayor John N. Lummus.

Aerial view over Miami Beach in 1915. Courtesy of Miami-Dade Public Library, Romer Collection.