5 /5 Ariel W.: The purpose of the Pompano Beach Historical society is to collect and preserve the history of Pompano Beach, the second oldest city in Broward County and the fifth oldest city in South Florida. Pompano Beach was incorporated in 1908. You can find the building for the historical society in Founders Park.
The Historical Society holds many events in the city. I recently took their historical bus tour that began in the Kester Cottages in Founders Park and for two hours visited historical buildings in the city including the Bailey Hotel which now houses the BaCA Art Center in downtown, the Ali Building, the Sample McDougald House, and the Hillsboro Lighthouse Museum. Tours are $15. The Historical Society also runs the Pompano Green Market Saturday mornings across from City Hall. The market hearkens back to Pompanos roots as a farming community. Another event they recently held was their annual road show and yard sale. The historical society also hosts lectures and public programs. They are currently seeking donations to refurbish the McNab House into a restaurant.
The Kester Cottages originated with Stuart and William L. Kester were originally from West Virginia. They came to Pompano to pursue fishing in the 1920s and in 1937 built the wood frame bungalows that they called "pepper crates" in Pompano and Deerfield Beach. Since they were inexpensive to build soon everyone was constructing them for residents and visitors alike. They were constructed of Dade County pine and had indoor plumbing and running water. They measured 25 feet by 35 feet. Some had a beach view and ranged from one to three bedrooms. At their height of popularity there were 150 of them. All of the cottages were white with playing card suites cut of out their shutters. Houses cost under a thousand dollars to build and you could rent one for as little as $29 a month. I wish you could still get beach front property for that amount.
The two Kester cottages owned by the Pompano Beach Historical Society were donated to them by Kesters nephew Stewart. They were moved from their original location to Founders Park behind the Historical Society building. Usually they are locked up but they open them for tours when they do the once a month historical trolley tour. The next time the cottages will be open is on January 12 from 9 to 10 AM. The cottages are filled with historical items from Pompano Beachs history. If you cant tour them they have a wonderful 3-D virtual tour on the website they have have set up for the cottages. One other Kester cottage remains on the grounds of the Butler House in Deerfield Beach.
With so many great events the Historical Society truly offers something for everyone. You can sign up to volunteer, donate money, or see their schedule of events on their website.
