a history of the miami dade county parks system

A Brief History of the Miami-Dade

County Park and Recreation

Department

Our Early Beginnings

The Age of the Rail

Dade County dates to 1836 but local government comes

with the arrival of the railroad and incorporation of the City

of Miami in 1896.

The first train to arrive in Miami, 1896

When the county was created in 1836, it stretched from Indian Key

to Jupiter inlet. By the late 1890s there were fewer than 1,000

residents in all of Dade County.

The Roaring 20’s: The Great Florida Land Boom

Flagler Street, 1920

In the 1920s, a real estate boom changed the area as new subdivisions

and tourist resorts were built.

The City of Miami changed so rapidly that visitors remarked that it had

“grown like magic” and Miami came to be know as the “Magic City.”

East Flagler and First Avenue, 1925

Americans Take to the Roads

By 1920, Miami’s population had grown to 29,571, an increase

of 440% during the previous decade. People from all over the country flocked to South

Florida in hopes of getting rich buying and selling real

estate.

To help attract motorists to South Florida, the Dade

County Commission set aside money in 1929 for a road

beautification program.

In 1929 Adrian D. “Doug” Barnes is hired to be the superintendent of

the county road beautification program.

The Parks Department is Born

With prison labor and $10,000, project “Superintendent” A.D.

Barnes began to plant trees that would eventually canopy the

county’s roads.

The program becomes the Dade County Parks

Department.

Deering

Fruit and Spice

Crandon

Haulover

Greynolds

Matheson Hammock

Homestead Bayfront

Our Heritage Parks: The Keys to our Past

Matheson Hammock Park

Our First Heritage Park

In 1930, Matheson Hammock becomes the county’s

first park.

“I have been waiting for

somebody to ask for the

Hammock and preserve it for the

public.”

--Commodore William J. Matheson

So spoke Commodore William J.

Matheson in the winter of 1929 when

approached by county employees

interested in the property. He

immediately agreed to donate the

land for a public park.

The Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC)

was created by President Franklin D.

Roosevelt in 1933 to put

unemployed young men to work

during the Great Depression.

The Civilian Conservation Corps adds to the park’s facilities in 1936.

The Civilian Conservation Core Arrives!

In Miami, CCC crews cleared land, engineered paths and

roadways, quarried stone, dredged canals, and built the walls and

structures of Dade County’s first parks.

At Matheson Hammock, the CCC

began to clear some of the

palmetto scrub, build bridges, and

dredge the area that became the

swimming beach.

A marina was built for private

boaters. The CCC also built a

concession stand area from native

rock which now housed the Red

Fish Grill.

The boat slips for the marina were

dug out by CCC workers.

The beach was enclosed early in the park’s

development after barracudas became a threat to

swimmers.

The swimming area quickly became popular with bathers. The original

concession stand is today a formal restaurant.

Matheson Hammock Park Today

Greynolds Park

A. D. Barnes Looks to the North of the County to Build a Park

In the early 1930’s, A.D. Barnes, realized that Miami was

expanding northward. Now Barnes was looking to create

a park to serve people in the northern part of the

county.

..an old rock quarry near the Oleta River

A.O. Greynolds owned an old rock quarry near the Oleta River in Ojus,

Florida. Barnes struck a deal with Greynolds—if he donated his quarry

for a park, it would carry his name.

Barnes presented William Lyman Phillips, the landscape architect, a

challenge—take a scraped, tract of rock pits littered with machinery

and make a park that people in Miami would be willing to drive a

distance to use.

There was not enough money to

haul away the heavy machinery and

boulders left behind. Phillips

decided to bury it all under the dirt

and slag dredged up during the

creation of the lakes and

waterways.

Phillip’s solution created an

“observation mound,” 42 feet

above sea level, the highest point

of land in the county at the time.

Visitors could swim in the lake, rent a horse for $1.50 per hour,

or rent a row boat or canoe for 25 cents an hour.

Phillips also created a boating and swimming lake with a timber and

stone boat house at one end. A natural island rookery populated by

nearly 3,000 egrets, herons, and roseate spoonbills became a central

feature.

Around the perimeter of the park, Phillips laid out a roadway lined with

native oaks and other local species, providing motorists with a scenic

drive to picnic areas and horseback riding trails.

So many people came from all over

the county and outside Florida that

picnic shelters, parking areas, and

restrooms had to be doubled after

the first year of operation.

Greynolds Park Today

Homestead Bayfront Park

In the 1930’s, the town

of Homestead

considered a number of

ideas to promote its

development. One of

their ideas was to

create a public park on

the bayfront.

James Sottile, owner of South

Dade Farms, donated 1,200

acres of bayfront for the park

project.

Much of the land

originally set aside for

Homestead Bayfront

Park was eventually

annexed into

neighboring Biscayne

National Park, including

the land were the visitor

center is located today.

An existing canal was dredged and widened to improve boat access.

An atoll tidal pool was created, modeled after the swimming atoll in

Matheson Hammock Park, and areas were cleared for roads and a

parking lot.

Development was delayed by World War II. The Army Corps

used the park as a base for rescue boats. German U-boats

seriously disrupted our coastal shipping.

The park reverted to civilian use after the war. In 1947, bonds were issued

to complete the park and marina construction. A two-story building was

renovated as a concession stand and living quarters for the Park

Superintendent.

Six thousand people attended the

official opening on January 28th,

1951.

Homestead Bayfront Park Today

Crandon Park

In 1941, Charles Crandon, a county commissioner, had a bold idea. The county

would offer to build a causeway from the mainland if the Matheson family, owners

of most of the island, would donate the beach area for a public park. The deal was

struck in 1941 but was delayed by World War II.

Eventually, in 1947, the Eddie Rickenbacker Causeway was opened by the war

hero himself and Commissioner Charles Crandon, whose vision and dedication

earned him the honor of having the new park bear his name.

New attractions were added to entice people across the

causeway—cabanas, a zoo, trams, trains, and a carousel.

In this 1950’s photograph, Bill Baggs State Park is at the bottom of the island.

Just above is the Village of Key Biscayne, with Crandon Park at the top.

Beyond Key Biscayne, continuing north, is Virginia Key, the undeveloped

Fisher Island, and Miami Beach.

A world class golf course was added in 1972. The state-of-the-art tennis center

draws international crowds for tournaments. The bayside marina gives boaters

access to Biscayne Bay and provides a beautiful venue for dining and sunset

watching.

Crandon Park Today

Crandon Park Today

Crandon Marina

Crandon Beach

Crandon Park Today

Crandon Park Today

Crandon Beach Cabanas

Crandon Park Today

Crandon Golf Course

Crandon Gardens

Crandon Park Today

Haulover Beach Park

In 1924, the government dredged Haulover Cut, creating open

access to the sea.

Phillip Edward Baker, a Civil War Veteran and prosperous Keys sponge

fisherman hacked through the mangroves clearing a portage, then set up

a shack and charged fishermen to “haul over” their fishing boats across

the narrow neck of land separating the bay from the sea.

This 1925 photo shows the recently dug Haulover Cut at bottom. The

inlet and path to the ocean, center, constitute “Baker’s Haulover.”

In 1935, the county bought undeveloped lots to form Haulover Beach.

In 1939 the Lighthouse Restaurant was purchased along with another

72 lots.

Docks were built making possible the development of

commercial fishing and charter sport fishing.

Local skippers served as “sub-spotters” during World War II,

reporting German U-boat sightings to the Coast Guard stationed at

Haulover.

Seeking relief from the

heat on Labor Day in

1948, bathers flock to

Haulover Beach.

A 1948 storm sends waves crashing over the old A1A

bridge at Haulover Cut. Erosion has been an ongoing

problem in the park.

Today Haulover Park is known worldwide for its international sport fishing

tournaments and its “clothing optional” area the only official “naturist”

beach in South Florida.

The Sea Turtle Hatchery at Haulover Beach protects endangered sea turtles. In

2003, more than 30,000 hatchlings returned to the sea, making the hatchery one

of the largest sea turtle rescue programs in Florida.

Haulover Beach Park Today

Aerial View from the South


Haulover Beach Inlet


Newly Built Boat Docks


Haulover Beach Jetty


9-hole Family Golf Course


Haulover Boat Dock


Haulover, Bay Shoreline


Art Deco Lifeguard Stands


The Fruit and Spice Park

Surrounded by thousands of acres of tropical farmland, the park is a

showcase for South Florida's agricultural community. An active exchange

program with botanical gardens and parks in Central America, Southeast Asia

and Australia ensures the quality and variety of species on display.

The park is the product of one woman’s vision: Mary

Calkins Heinlein who wanted to display the variety of

produce that come from the Redland district where her

family settled when she was a child.

Mary Calkins was the driving force behind the

establishment of the Redland Fruit and Spice Park and was

the park’s first superintendent and primary planner

beginning in 1944. She remained superintendent until her

retirement in 1959.

The Redland Schoolhouse was built

in 1906. The Redland Women’s Club

bought the building in 1916 after

the children transferred to the

Redlands Consolidated School.

The building was destroyed by

Hurricane Andrew in 1992. A

replica of the schoolhouse

serves as the park office and

store.

In 1944, the Fruit and Spice Park was set up in the

Redlands as a showcase for South Florida’s agricultural

community.

In 1980, the park’s name was changed to the Preston B.

Bird and Mary Heinlein Fruit and Spice Park.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused massive damage to the

park gardens and buildings.

The Fruit and Spice Park Today

Chris Rollins, Park Manager

The annual Redland Natural Art Festival—in its third

decade –attracts more than 15,000 visitors each year.

The park store stocks horticultural supplies, books on cooking and

gardening, reference books on tropical fruits and vegetables, and a

variety of spices, tropical jellies and specialty items.

The Fruit and Spice Park is a unique 35-acre display of tropical and

subtropical plants from around the world, where visitors are invited to taste

their way through ripe displays.

There are guided and self-guided tours, a tram ride, picnic tables, agricultural

classes, workshops and festivals. The park is the only tropical botanical

garden of its kind in the United States. It has over 500 varieties of exotic

fruits, herbs, spices and nuts and the largest collection of bamboo and

banana varieties in the country.

The Deering Estate at Old Cutler

The Deering Estate is one of

the most beautiful public

settings in the United States

—433 acres of pine rockland

and native hardwood

hammock with a mangrove-

fringed view out to sea.

Deering From Above

One of the wealthiest men of his age, Charles Deering was

an astute art collector, a scholarly reader, and a passionate

amateur naturalist. He loved the subtropical, Florida

climate and was dedicated to its conservation.

Deering Estate is named after Charles Deering, a 20th-century

industrial mogul.

Two very distinctive houses—the Stone House and

Richmond Cottage—represent the one hundred year span

of European settlement. Richmond Cottage was built by

pioneers on the edge of the wilderness in 1896.

The Stone House was built by Deering in 1922.

Charles Deering moved to Miami in 1914. He first built an

estate on the north Miami waterfront, but sold out during

a housing boom to purchase the remote Richmond Cottage.

Deering bought as much adjacent land as he could to save the native

hardwood hammock from future development.

A large section of the Ingraham Highway, the original coast road from

Coconut Grove, runs directly through the park.

Deering moved the road and built the Chinese Bridge on the

bypass as a tribute to his years in Asia as a U.S. Naval Officer.

The Deerings lived

first in the

Richmond Cottage,

named for the

family who built it.

Richmond Cottage

Stone House

The Stone House was constructed

as a residence and gallery for

Deering’s priceless art collection,

much of which is now in the Art

Institute of Chicago.

Convinced that the draining of the Everglades would have a

negative impact on the South Florida climate, he had

weather-measuring instruments installed on the property.

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Charles Deering died at the Deering Estate in 1927. He was

75.

The estate remained in the family until it was purchased with county

and state funds in 1985. The park is owned by the State of Florida and

operated by Miami-Dade County.

In 1992, Deering Estate was devastated by Hurricane Andrew.

Reconstruction lasted eleven years.

Deering Estate Today

Deering Estate Bayside

Deering from Above

Royal Palm Bay View from Stone House

Royal Palms on Bay Side

a history of the miami dade county parks system

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