Advertise on podcast: Miami History Podcast

This podcast episode features an interview with Jeff Davies, co-author and social media co-administrator for a book and Facebook page titled "Florida – A History in Pictures." Jeff shares his family's journey from New York to Miami in 1968 and how his father's memories as a child inspired him to make South Florida his family's home. Jeff, along with his co-author Mike McGinness, published a pictorial history of the State of Florida based on photographs donated by subscribers on their Facebook page and from their personal collections. Davies is a colorful raconteur who shares some of his favorite memories from his youth and stories of photos from the book during this episode.

This podcast episode tells the story of the Wagner family, among the earliest permanent settlers along the Miami River during the middle decades of the nineteenth century. William Wagner, a veteran of the Mexican War, arrived at Fort Dallas in 1855 with his business partner, Captain Sinclair. The two men came as sutlers, supplying soldiers after the U.S. Army reoccupied the fort during the Third Seminole War. In addition to operating their business near the mouth of the Miami River, Wagner and Sinclair established a coontie mill along a nearby tributary that would later become known as Wagner Creek. After the war ended and the soldiers departed in 1858, Wagner was joined in South Florida by his wife and young children. The family remained along the Miami River and continued operating the coontie mill, becoming part of the small but growing community that preceded modern Miami. In 1875, the Wagners constructed a chapel on their homestead that became an important early center of Catholic worship in sparsely populated Dade County. It was there that their daughter Rose Wagner married Adam Richards in a ceremony performed by a visiting Catholic priest on September 5, 1876. Rose Wagner and her children later became valuable sources of oral history, preserving firsthand accounts of life along the Miami River before the arrival of the railroad and the incorporation of Miami in 1896. Their recollections provide a rare glimpse into the isolated frontier community that existed during the second half of the nineteenth century. William Wagner spent the final years of his life on his original homestead near what is today the Culmer Metrorail Station. Although he sold the property to Julia Tuttle in 1893, he financed part of the transaction and regained the land following Tuttle's death in 1898 after the outstanding loan was not repaid. The story of the Wagner family offers a remarkable window into Miami's transformation from a remote settlement along the river into the city that emerged at the close of the nineteenth century.

This podcast episode explores the incorporation and early development of Miami Springs, a community founded during South Florida's extraordinary building boom of the 1920s. After helping establish Hialeah and Opa-locka, aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and James Bright founded Country Club Estates on August 23, 1926. The community was later renamed Miami Springs, and this year marks the centennial of the founding of this distinctive South Florida municipality. Like other master-planned communities developed during the era, including Coral Gables and Miami Shores, Miami Springs was carefully designed with its own architectural identity. What distinguished the community was its prominent use of Pueblo Revival architecture. Curtiss had traveled extensively throughout the American Southwest while promoting aviation and became fascinated by the region's architecture. That influence helped inspire the Pueblo-style homes and buildings that became one of Miami Springs' most recognizable and enduring characteristics.

This episode features the story of veteran South Florida journalist and storyteller Hank Tester. Hank arrived in Miami in 1992, just before Hurricane Andrew devastated the region, and was immediately immersed in one of the most consequential news events in South Florida history as a field reporter covering the storm's aftermath. After spending 23 years at WTVJ, Hank joined CBS4 in 2015 as a nighttime reporter. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while producing news content from home, he began researching and presenting short vignettes highlighting people, places, and events from South Florida's past. In this conversation, Hank discusses how he selects and researches his stories, how the segments are produced, and what he has learned about his adopted hometown while becoming an avocational historian for the local CBS affiliate.

In 1976, as the United States celebrated its Bicentennial, South Florida marked the nation's 200th birthday with an ambitious civic celebration. During the planning for the festivities, Miami earned a distinction achieved by only three other American cities, a remarkable honor whose story is revealed in this episode. Planning for the Bicentennial began nearly a decade earlier during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson and continued through the Nixon years as communities across the country prepared for the historic anniversary. Although downtown Miami was facing economic decline by the mid-1970s, city leaders used the Bicentennial as an opportunity to reimagine its urban core. Their efforts transformed the former Port of Miami location and downtown waterfront into a signature public green space that continues to be enjoyed by residents and visitors today, serving as one of the celebration's most enduring legacies.

This podcast episode explores South Florida's embrace of automobile transportation, beginning with the opening of the Dixie Highway in 1915. The discussion traces the evolution of the region's road network from early state highways to the creation of the federal Interstate Highway System, a transformative public works initiative whose impact has shaped South Florida since construction began in the late 1950s. The story is not solely one of progress and mobility. From the use of eminent domain to clear established neighborhoods to proposals that would have routed Interstate 95 through some of Miami's most treasured green spaces, the highway system came with significant social costs. While the network enabled unprecedented economic growth, regional connectivity, and suburban expansion, many communities bore the burden of its construction. Nowhere was that impact more profound than in Overtown, where large portions of Miami's historic Black community were displaced to make way for the transportation infrastructure that South Floridians rely upon today.

This episode explores the remarkable story of Miami pioneers Isidor and Ida Cohen, whose lives and contributions helped shape the city's early history. Isidor Cohen arrived on the banks of the Miami River in February 1896, months before Miami was incorporated, determined to become one of the first merchants in the fledgling community. His journey to South Florida was not without challenges, but he successfully established a store in a building leased from the Brickell family on the south side of the river before relocating to the emerging business district on the north bank. Following his marriage to Ida in September 1904, the couple became influential figures in both the business and civic life of the young city. Over the ensuing decades, they played important roles in Miami's growth, contributing to its commercial development while helping build many of the community institutions that would leave a lasting impact on the region. As one of Miami's earliest settlers and merchants, Isidor Cohen occupies a prominent place in the city's history, and together the Cohens are widely regarded as the "first family" of Jewish Miami.

This podcast episode explores the history of the Opa-locka, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of its incorporation on May 14, 1926. Founded by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, the distinctive North Miami-Dade community was envisioned around an "Arabian Nights" theme. Opa-locka became renowned for its remarkable collection of Moorish Revival architecture, the largest concentration of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, featuring onion domes, minarets, courtyards, and whimsical street names inspired by tales such as Ali Baba and Aladdin. The city also developed into an important aviation hub through the growth of Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, which at one time ranked among the busiest commercial airports in the United States. In 1982, Opa-locka established a Historic Environment Preservation Board to help protect its architectural heritage, and many of the city's signature buildings from its formative years have since been carefully restored and preserved, ensuring that its unique character continues into its second century.

This episode tells the story of two brothers who arrived on the shores of Biscayne Bay and the Miami River the very year the City of Miami was incorporated. John and Everest Sewell were not only early pioneers, but also among the city's first retailers. As Miami grew, both men would go on to serve multiple terms as mayor, helping shape the direction of the young community. John Sewell's enduring legacy includes the home he built in 1912 just outside the city, constructed from native rock and still remembered today. John's Halissee Hall is still standing and part of the Jackson Health Complex. His younger brother, Everest, became one of Miami's most influential promoters, leading the Chamber of Commerce and working alongside local business leaders to launch the first Orange Bowl game, an effort designed to draw visitors during the depths of the Great Depression. Together, the Sewell brothers played a central role in Miami's formative years.

This podcast episode recounts the story of the Olympia Theater at 174 East Flagler Street in downtown Miami as it marks the 100th anniversary of its grand opening in 1926. Built with extraordinary fanfare, the lavish and distinctive structure quickly became the crown jewel of Miami's burgeoning entertainment district. The celebrated showplace debuted at the height of the vaudeville era, when live stage acts and silent films captivated audiences, and later adapted to the age of "talkies." Motion pictures were enhanced by live musical accompaniment, whether from the orchestra in the pit or the majestic organ housed within its chamber. The grand opening on February 18, 1926, unveiled architect John Eberson's signature atmospheric design to an enthusiastic public. During the ceremony, the principals of Paramount Enterprises, a partnership between the Leach family and the Famous Players-Lasky organization that financed the project and later evolved into Paramount Pictures, were recognized for their vision. Prominent entertainers of the era and local leaders were also in attendance, lending star power to the debut of what was hailed as one of the most ornate and distinctive theaters in the nation.

This episode explores the remarkable story of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, one of the crown jewels of George Merrick's visionary City Beautiful. Developed through a partnership between Merrick and John McEntee Bowman of the Biltmore Corporation, the hotel opened as a symbol of Mediterranean Revival grandeur, designed to draw visitors from around the world and define South Florida luxury in the 1920s. The Biltmore Hotel's story is one of resilience. The institution was challenged by its inland location, and although it opened on January 15, 1926, during the peak of the building boom, it experienced economic turmoil following the bust of the building boom later that year. The hotel endured cycles of decline and renewal. Over the past century, it has served many roles, from glamorous resort to World War II Army hospital, later a VA hospital and medical school, before ultimately returning to its original purpose as a grand hotel. This episode traces the Biltmore's dramatic evolution and enduring legacy as one of South Florida's most iconic landmarks.

This podcast episode tells the story of an enduring South Florida landmark. On December 17, 2025, the Cape Florida Lighthouse marked its 200th anniversary, standing today as the oldest structure in Miami-Dade County still in its original location. Built on Key Biscayne, the lighthouse was designed to guide ships safely past the treacherous Great Florida Reef. Over two centuries, it survived a battle during the Second Seminole War, sabotage in the Civil War, periods of abandonment and restoration, and the destructive force of Hurricane Andrew. Thanks to the dedication of Miami News editor Bill Baggs and the advocacy of the Dade Heritage Trust, this historic beacon has been preserved and was fittingly honored during its bicentennial celebration.

This podcast episode features the story of development of the Edgewater neighborhood in Miami, Florida. What was part of an area referred to as 'North Miami', best known as Miami's first saloon and red-light district, Edgewater evolved out of the city's first suburbs that were developed after the saloon district was cleared out in 1908. When a Miami attorney turned developer began creating residential communities north of the city, one of those suburbs was called 'Edgewater' given its proximity to Biscayne Bay. After the annexation of North Miami in 1913, the neighborhood reference for the former northern suburbs was Edgewater encompassing from roughly north of the Venetian Causeway to the Julia Tuttle Causeway and east of Biscayne Boulevard.

This podcast episode explores the origins of the HistoryMiami Museum. Established in 1940 by George Merrick and several of Miami's early pioneers as the Historical Association of Southern Florida, the institution initially operated without a permanent home and relied on conducting talks and events at different locations around the Greater Miami area. Conceived as a collection-based museum, some of its earliest acquisitions were the personal recollections of the city's founding residents. Many of these stories were published in Tequesta magazine, authored by Merrick, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and other notable Miami figures. The museum reached an important milestone with the dedication of its first building, a Beaux-Arts–style structure located in the Edgewater neighborhood. Despite the building's shortcomings, it provided the museum with space to grow and to appoint its first full-time director. In the following years, the museum relocated to the Vizcaya complex alongside the Miami Science Museum, before settling in its current home at the Dade Cultural Center in 1984.

This podcast episode explores the life and legacy of Miami pioneer architect August Geiger. Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Geiger first visited Miami with his family in 1899, when the city was just three years old. Captivated by the area's potential, he returned in 1905 to begin his architectural career under the mentorship of fellow pioneer Walter DeGarmo. Geiger went on to design some of Miami's most iconic landmarks, including the Dade County Courthouse, the original city hospital known as the Alamo, the Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course clubhouse, the Miami Woman's Club, and the First Church of Christ, Scientist chapel on Biscayne Boulevard in Edgewater, and the Hindu Temple in Spring Garden. His work with the Dade County School District produced enduring educational landmarks such as Southside Elementary and Coral Way Elementary, as well as the historic Davie Schoolhouse in Broward County. Many of Geiger's designs continue to stand as lasting testaments to his talent and influence on South Florida's architectural identity.