Our Monthly Historical Programs Archive

The Miami Pioneers and Natives Of Dade present a program of interest to history enthusiasts in South Florida, usually on the first Sunday of the month at 2pm.

Our usual venue is the Coral Gables Museum, but during pandemic conditions, we meet online using the Zoom app.

Some of our programs have been recorded and can be view from links on this page.

Link to the Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade YouTube Channel.

Bob Carr: Ten Objects That Tell The Miami Story

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Saturday, April 8, 2023

The Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade historical society welcomed noted Archaeologist Robert (Bob) Carr for a program on 10,000 years of Miami’s human occupation on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

Archaeologist Robert (Bob) Carr tells the story of 10,000 years of Miami’s human occupation by focusing on ten artifacts and objects beginning with Tequesta and Seminole artifacts that depict Miami’s first people. Miami’s historic period is highlighted from the founding of a Spanish mission at the mouth of the Miami River in 1567, American and Bahamian settlers, Fort Dallas to the mid twentieth century’s growth of Miami as a major American City.

Bob Carr has worked as an archaeologist with the State of Florida, the National Park Service, and became Dade County’s first archaeologist, and retired as the County director of Historic Preservation. He is currently director of the Florida not-for-profit Archaeological and Historical Conservancy, and author of numerous articles and two books: Digging Miami and a pictorial history of the Everglades. He has just completed a novel about the Miami Circle titled “The Python Conspiracy”.

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:
MPNOD Zoom – Saturday, April 8, 2023
Ten Objects That Tell The Miami Story

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Cesar Becerra on Frankie’s Pizza

A Slice of Heaven
A “taste” of Frankie’s Pizza

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Saturday, March 11, 2023

The Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade historical society presents historian Cesar Becerra and his program on Frankie’s Pizza on Bird Road.

The story begins on Valentines day in 1955. Two newly weds had just gone back from honeymooning in Miami Beach and hastily tossed giant baking pans in the trunk of their car and raced back to open Miami’s first pizza shop — Frankie’s On Bird Road.

The rest is history.

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:
MPNOD Zoom – Saturday, March 11, 2023
A Slice of Heaven, A “taste” of Frankie’s Pizza

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Architect Richard Heisenbottle
Historic Restoration in Miami

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Saturday, February 11, 2023

The Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade historical society welcomed noted historical preservation specialist and award-winning architect Richard Heisenbottle for a program on the restoration of seminal properties and venues in South Florida.

Richard Heisenbottle, FAIA is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Architecture and one of the most respected architects in South Florida, with more than 35 years of experience in all aspects of architecture, planning and interior design. In 1987 he formed R.J. Heisenbottle Architects, specializing in historic preservation. Mr. Heisenbottle was awarded the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ Silver Medal for Design in 2003, and was elected to the AIA College of Fellows in 2005.

R.J. Heisenbottle Architects is well known for the historic restoration of many of the region’s most prestigious buildings including: the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, one of the first atmospheric theaters in the country; the Colony Theater, an Art Deco gem in the heart of the Miami Beach Historic District; the Freedom Tower, a National Historic Landmark; Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, also a National Historic Landmark, and the Miami Edison Middle School, winner of a National Trust for Historic Preservation “National Preservation Award.”

Mr. Heisenbottle is also the recipient of Outstanding Preservation Project Awards from the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects, numerous awards from the Miami Chapter of the AIA, and the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:
MPNOD Zoom – Saturday, February 11, 2023
Architect Richard Heisenbottle – Historic Restoration in Miami

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Brad Bertelli
Dr. Henry Perrine and Indian Key

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Saturday, January 14, 2023

The Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade historical society presents historian Brad Bertelli and his program on The Henry Perrine and Indian Key Connection on Saturday, January 14, 2023.

Brad explores the life of Dr. Henry Perrine and his connection to Indian Key. Dr. Perrine sought to live in warmer climates after being accidentally poisoned by arsenic. The event altered his life trajectory, leading him to abandon the medical profession and pursue a career in horticulture. It also introduced him to Indian Key, where his life tragically ended during the second escalation of the Seminole War on August 7, 1840.

Brad Bertelli, a native of Southern California, moved to Florida in 1989 and into the Florida Keys in 2001. Today, he is an Honorary Conch, Florida Keys historian, speaker, and writer.

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:
MPNOD Zoom – Saturday, January 14, 2023 – Brad Bertelli – Dr. Henry Perrine and Indian Key

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Miami Pioneer Gaston Drake

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Saturday, October 8, 2022

Miami Pioneer Gaston Drake (1871-1955) was born in his maternal grandparents’ mansion in St. Louis, brought to the family orange groves in Yalaha on Lake Harris as an infant and educated at Princeton University. He came to Miami at the turn of the 20th century, and for over 50 years was a fixture in the Magic City’s business and social life.

His Drake Produce company shipped fresh fruits and vegetables north. He raised money from his Princeton classmates and created Drake Lumber, based in Princeton — the town in South Dade he named after his alma mater. Drake Lumber was a major supplier of timber for Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Extension to Key West and John Collins’ wooden bridge that connected Miami Beach with Miami.

Daniel Patrick O’Connell is a retired investment banker/financial advisor who has lived in the Brickell neighborhood of Miami for four years. Pat is President of the Princeton Club of South Florida, which serves the 350+ Princeton University alumni in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:
MPNOD Zoom October 8, 2022 – Miami Pioneer Gaston Drake

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Matt Stock Abandoned Everglades

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Saturday, September 19, 2022

Award-winning Photographer Matt Stock has earned a reputation for his dramatic images of natural wonders, including his series of Abandoned Everglades.

Abandoned Vehicles of the Everglades explores the interaction between man and nature as seen through night-time environmental portraits of vehicles long abandoned in the Everglades ecosystem.

Each image was captured at night utilizing the highly specialized technique of light painting combined with long exposures and seasonally specific images without adding anything to or taking away from the scene. Everything you will see in these images was actually there on location: the super moon, the milky way, and of course the automobiles. Over the decades these man-made objects have become a part of the cycle of life as flora and fauna grow around and literally through them.

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:
MPNOD Zoom September 10, 2022 – Matt Stock Abandoned Everglades

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Tony Pernas, American Flamingos

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Saturday, July 9, 2022

The Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade historical Society presents a lecture by Tony Pernas on the History Of The American Flamingo. American Flamingos are a cultural icon of Florida, yet their status in Florida has been controversial for nearly a century. This presentation by Tony Pernas of the Florida Flamingo Working Group (FFWG) will shed light on the history of Florida Flamingos and efforts by FFWG to promote conservation and awareness.

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:
MPNOD Zoom July 9, 2022 – Tony Pernas, American Flamingos

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

MPNOD – Jason Vuic
How Lot Sellers, Land Scammers, and Retirees Built Modern Florida and Transformed the American Dream.

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Our special guest is Jason Vuic, author of The Swamp Peddlers: How Lot Sellers, Land Scammers, and Retirees Built Modern Florida and Transformed the American Dream.

Florida has long beckoned retirees seeking to spend their golden years in the sun, but, for many, the American dream of owning a home there was financially impossible. That changed in the 1950s, when the so-called “installment land sales industry” seemingly appeared out of nowhere to hawk billions of dollars of Florida residential property, sight unseen, to retiring northerners.

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:

MPNOD Zoom March 6, 2022 – Jason Vuic, author of The Swamp Peddlers

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

MPNOD – National Park Service Museum and Archive with Bonnie Ciolino

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Our special guest was Bonnie Ciolino, archivist for the South Florida Collections Management Center in Everglades National Park with “Opening the Closed Doors: National Park Service Museum and Archival Collections in South Florida.”

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:

MPNOD Zoom Feb 6, 2022 Annie Ciolino – National Park Service Museum and Archive

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Archaeologist Bob Car on Brickell Point

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:

MPNOD Zoom Jan 9, 2022 Bob Carr on Brickell Point

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Wolfson Archives – Captured On Camera

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2021 August – Miami’s 125th Anniversary

MPNOD – Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade Historical Society

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Debut of Cesar Becerra’s new book

Orange Blossom 2.0

Watch the Zoom meeting on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/ClTcG0jGFAw

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2021 June – The Forgotten History of Aladdin City

You might have noticed it when looking at maps of the Redland region, Miami’s countryside. The name of Aladdin City is labeled on the area near SW 216 Street (Hanlin Mill Road) and SW 162 Avenue (Farm Life Road). This triangle section, bordered by these two main roads, as well as the railroad tracks, was a well planned suburb destined to be an ideal community back in the 1920s.

Tune in for Robert Burr’s presentation on the Forgotten History of Aladdin City. You can also download the PDF version of the presentation. 

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2021 May – Flight Into Egypt Stained Glass Restoration Project

Becky Roper Matkov, past president of the Deering Estate Foundation is our guest speaker on the recent stained glass restoration project Flight Into Egypt, along with a presentation by Elizabeth Battaglia, of the 100 Ladies of Deering.

Two rare pre-17th Century stained glass art panels that once belonged to Charles Deering have been restored and returned to the Deering Estate’s 1922 Stone House for permanent display. The project was made possible thanks to the donation of the panels by Mrs. Barbara Danielson and Mrs. Richard Danielson, and the initiative and funding of the 100 Ladies of Deering, a philanthropic circle of the Deering Estate Foundation, the Deering Estate Foundation’s Charles Deering McCormick Art Fund, and private donors.

100 Ladies of Deering web site: https://100ladiesofdeering.org

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2021 April – Don Worth – Miami Marine Stadium

Don Worth provides a power point presentation that describes the Stadium’s history, its present status, steps necessary to bring it back to life, and its remarkable and exciting future. Built in 1963, Miami Marine Stadium hosted many remarkable events during its 28 year history. The Stadium closed after Hurricane Andrew and has remained shuttered ever since.

Check the Restore Marine Stadium Facebook group page for updates. https://www.facebook.com/Restoremarinestadium/

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2021 March – Renny Young – Coconut Grove Sailing Club

In December of 1945 a meeting was held at Dr. Paul Robertson’s home on Saint Gaudens Drive in Coconut Grove. About 30 people (men, women and boys) gathered to form a youth membership club to promote sailing, racing and water safety.

The club was titled the “Coconut Grove Sailing Club.”

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2021 February – Charles H. Baker and Java Head

A recording of the Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade presentation about the life of world travelers and celebrated bon vivants Charles and Pauline Baker, creators of the famed Java Head residence on the Coral Gables Waterway. Charles Henry Baker Jr. was an American author best known for his culinary and cocktail writings.

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2021 January – The Barnacle, The Growing Up Years

Marlin Ebbert presents a short documentary featuring interviews with Bill and Charlie Munroe, reminiscing about growing up at The Barnacle historic homesite in Coconut Grove. This live stream meeting on Zoom will include an interactive discussion with Marlin Ebbert and BIll Munroe. Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade members and friends, as well as the general public, are invited to join in, starting at 2pm on Sunday, January 10th.

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2020 December – Miami Military Museum – This Old Headquarters

Celebrating the 79th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day, Anthony Atwood presents a program on the history of the Military in South Florida on Sunday, December 6th at 2pm, via zoom online interactive video. Ten Floridians, including two from Homestead, are still on USS Arizona. We remember them and discuss the Pearl Harbor Remembrance hosted annually at the museum.

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2020 November – John Nordt on Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne and Biscayne National Park

John Nordt III presents a program about the history of Coconut Grove in the late 19th century, the lighthouse keeper on Key Biscayne, Israel Lafayette Jones, his son Lancelot Jones, and history of Elliott Key from ship wrecking to pineapple farming to property ownership and development, finishing with the creation of Biscayne National Park from 1890 thru 1970s.

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

2020 October – The Art Of Bob Fink

Our guest speaker is Thomas Lockyear, Museum Manager at the Museum of the Everglades in Collier County, on the subject of Bob Fink, the son of Denman Fink –- who illustrated much of the promotional material for the Coral Gables Company.

Please enjoy this YouTube video of the program.

Enjoy the program? You can make a donation easily with one click.

Upcoming Programs

See the calendar and special events page for details.

We’re proud to bring many good speakers to make presentations about local history to our audience. If you find these topics of interest, please share with a friend.

Please offer a donation to cover the cost of presentations when you attend a meeting. We very much appreciate those who can provide refreshments such as cookies, crackers, brownies, etc. for social time after the meeting.

Annual Dues

Our annual membership dues are $20 a year. Use the online Pay Pal link for your donation, or mail your check made to MP/NOD to our Treasurer: Marlene B. Carlin, 14900 SW 71 Ave, Miami, FL 33158.