Journey through time during our History Talks program series! History Talks delves into the layered histories of Miami and greater South Florida. Hosted by HistoryMiami Museum’s Resident Historian, Dr. Paul S. George, and presented in conversation with a community stakeholder, this lecture series will explore the history of some of Miami’s boom era communities—Miami Shores, Coral Gables, Opa-locka, and Hialeah.
A History of Miami Shores Wednesday, September 3, 2025
Once advertised as “America’s Mediterranean,” Miami Shores is home to architectural gems that speak to the area’s boom period construction. Learn about the Shoreland Company’s vision for this village on the bay as an Italian-inspired development.
Dr. George will be joined in conversation by community member and Brockway Memorial Library archivist John Bachay, who will share his insights into the community of Miami Shores.
A History of Coral Gables Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Celebrate Coral Gables’ centennial anniversary as you reflect upon the history of The City Beautiful. Learn about the community that George Merrick designed and the legacy of the early Black laborers who built it. View archival images of some of Coral Gables’ most notable landmarks, including the Venetian Pool, Biltmore Hotel, and DeSoto Fountain.
Dr. George will be joined in conversation by community member Dorothy M. Wallace. Mrs. Wallace will share stories of her life living in the McFarlane Homestead Subdivision in the 1950s and as one of the first African Americans to integrate the graduate school at the University of Miami.
A History of Opa-locka Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Known for its iconic Moorish Revival architecture, the development of Opa-locka is said to have been inspired by The Arabian Nights. Reflect upon the history of this city as you explore one of the three Greater Miami communities conceptualized by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and cattleman James H. Bright.
Dr. George will be joined in conversation by community member and founder of the Opa-locka Preservation Association, Alex Van Mecl, who will discuss the work he has led in this community, including the Opa-locka Heritage Trail and the new Opa-locka History Museum.
A History of Hialeah Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the City of Hialeah! Once known as the Gateway to the Everglades, this community was applauded for its world-famous racetrack at Hialeah Park—which attracted notable figures such as Winston Churchill, Princess Grace of Monaco, and Elizabeth Taylor—and its once larger-than-life welcome sign featuring the likeness of Jack Tigertail, a Seminole tribal member.
For over three decades, HistoryMiami Museum’s Resident Historian Dr. Paul S. George has toured his way to local, national, and international acclaim with his continuing series of historic tours. Through walking, coach, and boat tour experiences, Dr. George has welcomed tour participants on a memorable journey of South Florida through its historic neighborhoods, landmarks, and sites. As a Miami native, author, and former college professor, Dr. George has gained fame for his uncanny ability to recall the most impressive details about the people and places that make South Florida so unique.
Past Courses:
In Class with Dr. George: Themes in South Florida History
Journey through time with Dr. George during our In Class with Dr. George series! In Class with Dr. George delves into the layered histories of Miami and greater South Florida. Hosted by HistoryMiami Museum’s Resident Historian, Dr. Paul S. George, and presented in conversation with a community stakeholder, this lecture series will include a thematic exploration of topics ranging from South Florida’s unique environment, transportation, aviation, and architecture.
Lecture topics to include: the area’s early history and peoples; the homesteading era; incorporation and the early years of the City of Miami; Boom/Bust and the 1920s; Depression and war; the post WWII Boom; and the emergence of an international city.
Delve into the history of South Florida’s unique environment. Learn how early peoples and settlers adapted to this tropical wilderness – from Biscayne Bay to its mangrove studded shoreline and beyond.
Dr. George will be joined in conversation with Erin Cover, Education and Outreach Manager at Miami Waterkeeper. Miami Waterkeeper protects South Florida’s waters by advocating for resilient solutions grounded in science, rooted in nature, and driven by community.
Reflect upon the distinctive styles of Miami architecture from Art Deco and Miami Modern (MiMo) to Frame Vernacular and Mediterranean Revival. Dr. George will be joined in conversation with Jose R. Vazquez, a professor at Miami Dade College’s School of Architecture and Interior Design.
Learn about the history of transportation in Miami – from dugout canoes to cruise ships; and the arrival of the train to the introduction of trolleys and cars.
Dr. George will be joined by Javier Betancourt, Executive Director of the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust (CITT), an independent agency of Miami-Dade County charged with oversight of the “half penny” transportation surtax and implementation of the associated People’s Transportation Plan.
Explore the history of aviation in Miami. Learn about some of aviation’s iconic figures from Amelia Earhart to Bessie Coleman and Glenn Curtiss. Reflect upon the site of the former Pan American Seaplane Terminal – today’s Miami City Hall – and hear stories of naval aviation and flying boats in Dinner Key.
Dr. George will be joined by Irene Schwarz and Renate Van Kempema with World Wings International, Inc. who will share their own lived experiences as a Pan Am Stewardess and their work with World Wings International today.
In Class with Dr. George: Defining Moments in South Florida History
Delve into the history of Miami and South Florida with our Resident Historian, Dr. Paul S. George. Over the course of 5-weeks, Dr. George will lead you on an exploration of the defining moments of our region’s history. Each class session will include lecture and discussion followed by tours of either the museum’s exhibitions or historic sites in Downtown Miami.
Lecture topics to include: the area’s early history and peoples; the homesteading era; incorporation and the early years of the City of Miami; Boom/Bust and the 1920s; Depression and war; the post WWII Boom; and the emergence of an international city.
This lecture will focus on the area’s indigenous peoples, who lived here at least 10,000 years ago. Important archaeological discoveries along the Miami River and near Biscayne Bay in the past half century have opened our eyes to this fact. Others who will be discussed here include the Tequesta Indians, arguably the descendants of the first peoples, Spanish missions to the Tequesta and Seminoles, who came to South Florida in the early 1700s, and played a consequential role in shaping its development in subsequent centuries.
Before there was a city of Miami, there were numerous homesteading communities that dotted the areas looking out upon Biscayne Bay in the second half of the nineteenth century. Although these settlements were small in size, they were consequential in laying the foundations for not only the future City of Miami, but also other important centers of vast Miami-Dade County. These pioneers helped give direction to the evolving communities following the railroad’s entry into Miami in the late 19th century.
The entry of Henry M. Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway in Miami in 1896 brought monumental changes to the area, since it connected it by land, for the first time, to points north. The City of Miami grew quickly after the rail’s entry and influenced the development of many other portions of the county. Early on the nascent city was a magnet for various races and ethnic groups.
The great real estate boom of the mid-1920s transformed Miami and its environs from a frontier city surrounded by several agricultural settlements into an emerging metropolitan area. For the first time, the area was in the national limelight, as visitors and investors rushed to its sunny shores to get rich in real estate ventures. New communities like Coral Gables, Miami Springs and Miami Shores were products of the Boom. The bust that followed in 1926 and thereafter previewed for the nation the Great Depression that descended upon it following the stock market crash in 1929.
Despite challenging economic conditions, the Depression Decade was eventful, with Greater Miami experiencing growth in many sectors while positioning itself as a major tourist and aviation center. Further, the area arose from the economic quagmire more quickly than much of the rest of the nation.
Greater Miami thrived in the wartime decade of the 1940s, serving as an immense training base for hundreds of thousands of men and women in uniform, while positioning itself through its exposure to many who migrated here after the conflict.
The construction, population, and tourism booms that followed the end of World War II drove the area to new heights, placing it squarely in the front ranks of America’s metropolitan regions. Areas that were still swampland and piney woods before the war were now hosting new suburban communities. A robust airport and seaport exposed millions over the course of the postwar decades to the magic of the Magic City. Beneath the gloss of this sparkling area, minorities were fighting for rights, environmentalists were lobbying for the protection of its unique ecology, and law enforcement agencies were tamping down on spiraling crime.
Miami and Dade County recognized early in their development that geography often determines destiny. The area’s close proximity to Cuba, the Caribbean, the West Indies and even South America made it a haven for people fleeing the tyranny and economic malaise of nearby countries for the freedom and opportunity afforded by the United States. Miami became ground zero for this process and, in the process, was transformed into a flourishing international city.
With its increased urbanity came a cultural renaissance and a rebirth of venerable center city neighborhoods.
