Page 15 - Celebrating 50 Years of the International swimming Hall of Fame
P. 15
The Early YearsEarly Years
The
Local residents,
black and white,
congregate on
the beach at the
original House
of Refuge.
The City of Fort Lauderdale is named
after fortifications built by Major Wil-
liam Lauderdale during the Second
Seminole War in 1838, one of which was
built on the beach at the site of today’s
Bahia Mar. The forts were abandoned in
1842 and the area remained virtually un-
populated until the Federal Government
built a House of Refuge for shipwreck
victims at the site of today’s D.C. Alex-
ander Park, in 1876.
With the coming of the Florida East
Coast Railroad in the mid 1890’s, orga-
nized development began and the City
Local residents enjoying the sea. was incorporated in 1911.
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