Q. What was the name of the Bronson, Fla. doctor who was sent for to act as house physician for the Royal Palm Hotel and to begin a practice in Miami which was still a city-to-be?

A. James M. Jackson whose practice is the namesake for Jackson Memorial Hospital

 

The Royal Palm hotel was a thriving place to be in 1897. Many of South Florida’s wealthiest vacationers spent late nights at Flagler’s lodge. The burgeoning city of Miami had an ever growing population of seasonal workers, investors and tourists, but one very important piece of the puzzle was missing.*

 

Q. Charles Avenue in Coconut Grove was the location of what?

A. The first black community on the South Florida mainland.

 

From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, the economy of the Caribbean was based primarily on plantation agriculture. When institutionalized slavery ended, many people from the African Diaspora remained in the Caribbean and were in search of work. In the late 1880’s the Fort Dallas offered a lot of opportunity.*

 

Q. In the early 1900’s in Miami, it was common practice to burn smudge spots under the dining room tables. Why did people use smudge spots?

A. to ward off mosquitoes

With the population in the new town of Miami growing, the need to build on the Everglades became an increasing necessity. The low lying regions of Miami were susceptible to pooling water. These areas, in addition to those closer to Biscayne Bay, were habitats to many animals and insects. Some of the insects would swarm in such thick mists that many Miami residents turned to innovative prevention practices.