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1674-3 John Collins11111LIC 1,i11}?.Ezr Interior View of Collins Memorial The JOHN S. COLLINS MEMORIAL of the MIAMI BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY and ART CENTRE WE`: " 7 1'J58 ! j1 tti}t ry '111-11 1 The John S. Collins Memorial This memorial comprising the south wing of the Miami Beach Public Library and Art Centre of Miami Beach, Florida is erected to commemorate the late John S. Collins, pioneer and early developer of Miami Beach by his daughter Mrs. Thomas J. Pancoast, Chairman of the Library Board. Mr. Collins was born December 29, 1837 in the ancestral Quaker home of the Collins family in Morrestown, New Jersey. The son of a farmer, he was the sixth generation of his name to live in this homestead. He grew up with a deep love of the soil and a creative passion for making things grow and produce abundantly. In his early youth he experimented with growing strawberries commer- cially, and as a young man of twenty years he was the proud possessor of a quarter of an acre of ground all his own, a gift from his father. This land he planted half in blackberries and half in strawberries and harvested a profitable cropthe first year. His love of growing things causedhimto establish the Pleasant Valley Nurseries at Morrestown, the profits from which were used to buy neighboring farms, an enterprise of considerable value. After much ex- perience in experimental agriculture he stocked a farm at Merchantville, New Jersey with his beloved black- berry plants and it was from these plants that Ire popularized the famous Wilson early blackberries in the markets of Philadelphia and New York. His early recognition of the Kiefer pears did much to promote its acceptance in the east. Mr. Collins was always keenly receptive to new methods and new ideas, especially machine and labor saving devices, and in 1888 he became a dealer in farin machinery and farmer's supplies. Feeling that he was getting along in years, he was now ready to shift a measure of his responsibilities to his son and son-in-law. Now he found that there was time to look for other fields to conquer. A number of years before he had come to the financial aid of a group of New Jersey men who were promoting a fantastic plan to grow coconuts commercially in Miami Beach. This plan had prov- en a failure, a fact deeply resented by Mr. Collins and he now determined to turn that failure into suc- cess. In the early nineties Mr. Collins had first come to Florida. The railroad had not yet reached Palm Beach and he preceded the railroad into Miami in 1896 to take the situation over personally. 13�.ii T=cnrded; if the land came up to his expectations, to develop it according to his own ideas. Two black men rowed him across Biscayne Bay and for the first time he set foot on the soil of Miami Beach. He admired the location, and after examining the soil found it good. Things, wonderful things, new things could be grown in this virgin jungle. That was for the present, and with the perfect climate, the sun and the sea, he foresaw that thousands of people would come to spend the winter here, if given the opportunity. There was much work to be done, the jungle must be cut down, business called him north, proper control of the land must be obtained, all of these things caused irritating delays, but finally by 1907 he was ready to go ahead. During the delay he studied the situation, talked to native farmers and government plan experts. He sought and found the unusual fruit with which he wished to experi- ment. He would plant avocados and while these grew he would plan the fashionable winter resort of his dreams. The Herculean task of clearing the jungles, of planting orchards, of building canals and bridges for communication, of interesting others to settle here, of supplying vision and courage to those who with- out it would so easily have given up, has truly earned him the loving title of Father of Miami Beach. In memory of this vision and this courage. the John S. Collins Memorial is erected for the citizens of the city he dreamed. JOHN S. COLLINS THE MEMORIAL IS ERECTED IN LOVE AND RESPECT FOR THIS FRIENDLY MAN. MIAMI BEACH IS A MONUMENT TO HIS VISION AND COURAGE. No. Dredge in Lake Pancoast This picture shows the type of suction dredge used in the building of Miami Beach. The dredge in this picture is working along the southeast edge of Lake Pancoast, deepening and widening it, in order to make it navigable. Before this dredging process took place the lake was shallow enough to be crossed on foot at low tide. The plans for the building of the new town called for the preservation of all the natural beau- ties and it was therefore desirable to preserve the inland waterways as well as to fill in the land. For this reason the shallow basin at the headwaters of Indian Creek was pumped out at a depth of from six to ten feet. The result was a beautiful, clear navigable lake. Along the shores, after the man- grove had been cut down, the sands from the bottom + of the lake were spread to form firm land and streets and homesites were laid out. Lake Pancoast This picture shows Lake Pancoast in the early part of year 1913. The wide strip of while, sandy soil in the right foreground is Collins Avenue be- fore any improvements had been made. In the center background is the location of the present resi- dence of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Pancoast. They chose as a homesite this beautiful spot at the head of the wading pond that formed the headwaters of In- dian Creek. The pond was dredged out to form Lake Pancoast, the shores of the lake were bulk - headed and filled in. The mangroves along the creek were cut down and the fill was pumped in over them, but the palms were allowed to remain forming a beautiful setting for the new home. This home has not changed much during the years. Its spacious- ness and grace of architecture was a forerunner of the many large homes soon to be built at Miami Beach. Collins Canal was later to connect this Lake with Biscayne Bay. No. 2 Lincoln Road in 1905 Scrub Palmettoes Parts of the island of Miami Beach were c9vered with the scrub palmettoes shown in this picture. They had to be cleared before building could begin. The palmettoes were cleared by a 16 ton traction engine with wheels two feet wide, to each side of which was bolted a knife -blade. The engine was first driven north and south the weight forcing the blades through the palmettoes. It was then driven east and west to further loosen them. A third trip was made across the land by the engine, this time in a diagonal direc- tion pulling two heavy plows. The plows cut off the No. center roots that grow directly into the ground. This 3 method cut off the scrub palmettoes into approxi- mate two foot lengths. Men driving mule carts removed the cut palmettoes and piled them in the sun where they were allowed to lie for three or four months until dry enough to burn. This clearing is the exact location of the pres- ent day Lincoln Road the fashionable shopping dis- trict of Miami Beach. This picture was taken from the Bay side looking east toward the Ocean. The strip was originally cleared so that the mangrove trees might be taken out for the purpose of manufacturing tanic acid. The group of engineers in the center of the pic- ture include Mr. W. E. Brown, and Mr. August De - Winkler, long connected with the early engineering problems of the district. Those pioneers who originally conceived this clearing as an east -west highway across the island could not possibly envisioned the Lincoln Road of to- day with its exclusive shops filled with finery and merchandise from all corners of the globe. There is a daily parade of the great and the near great, .riving this street the name "Fifth Avenue of the `outh." No. w THE SHORE OF MIAMI BEACH An early picture showing the ocean front of Miami Beach before development. The Beach was originally a narrow peninsula extending south and marking the eastern boundary of Biscayne Bay. On the ocean side a magnificent sandy beach extended southward. To the west there was a virgin jungle, thick, impenetrable, and tropical. An old Indian trail ran north and south among the trees. This trail had in all probability been made by the Takesta Indians long before the time of Columbus and there is reason to believe that the Seminoles had used it after them. The first settlers, of the Beach found the trail clear but overgrown, and with much labor widened it so that it might be used as a road for the mule teams. in 1870 Henry B. Lum and son of Sandusky, Ohio, visited the Beach, coming to Miami from Key West in a sixteen foot 1 1 No. 5 sailboat. At Brahman's Landing they saw a small group of coconut trees. The returned in 1882 accompanied by Ezra Osborn and Elnathan T. Field of Middletown, New Jersey with the idea of planting an enormous coconut grove along the ocean beaches of south Florida. They thought a fortune could be made for the financial backers from the coconuts produced by these trees and marketed as copra or coconut oil. Believing that a ma- ture tree dropped a nut daily, the calculated yield, in spite of market price, promised to be a profitable venture. Contrary to their expectations the project failed and John S. Collins, a disappointed investor, believed that the arca should be developed as a winter resort. The tall palms shown in this picture are some of those planted as part of the original grove. 1 No. 6 The Mangrove Swamp A section of mangrove covered swamp land on the bay side of Miami Beach. The slender trees rose to great heights and their wide -spreading tops inter- laced. The growth was dense and rank. Their roots stood high above the wet, swampy soil and at high tide the roots were partially submerged. Beneath their interwoven tops a dim twilight prevailed and it was extremely dangerous, sometimes quite im- possible, to walk among them. At the water's edge oysters had fastened themselves to the roots, feeding upon minutiae as the tide rose. In the early days these oysters were edible though their flavor was never the best. This kind of oyster can now be found on the submerged islands of the inland water- ways or dinging to the banks of the Collins Canal, but they are contaminated and not edible. Large areas of such swampy lands bred quantities of mos- quitoes that preyed mercilessly upon the early settlers. To form a foundation for new land these stands of timber had to be cut down as was described in No. 4 and the gigantic dredges poured over the stumps thousancts of cubic feet of soil from the bay bottom. Indian Creek A view of Indian Creek looking northward to 41st Street. The watertower in the right center background was built to supply fresh drinking water to the Collins farm located in that area. The tower was situated at the site of the present 41st Street bridge across Indian Creek. It was down this water- way that the harvests from the farm were moved on their first journey to the northern markets. The deepening and widening of this waterway, the dredg- ing out of Lake Pancoast, and the building of the Collins Canal gave the Beach its first system of water travel, proving the first link in the chain that was later to become the splendid inland waterway that we know today, over which so many boats and yachts come to Miami from the north. Today Indian Creek Drive following along the eastern bank of this stream, bulkheaded, graded and landscaped, and lined with beautiful homes is the realization of the picture that must have been in Mr. Collins mind when he looked our over his farm to the bright waters beyond. No. 7 No. 8 The Collins Bridge This bridge was the first means of access from the mainland of Miami across Biscayne Bay to Miami Beach, other than by boat. It was a vehicular bridge of wood construction, two and one-half miles long. It was built by the Miami Beach Improvement Com- pany. Construction on the bridge was started July 1912, and it was completed in May 1913. The for- mal opening was held June 12, 1913, at which time cars could cross as far as Bull Island (now known as Belle Isle). At the time the bridge was built it was the longest wooden vehicle bridge in existence, costing $100,000.00. Before travel could proceed from the bridge, the mangrove swamp had to be cleared from the Bay side. This required the pumping in by suction dredge of approximately 14,300,000 cubic yards of solid material. The present Venetian Causeway replaced this early wooden bridge. Miami Beach Bathing Pavilion This scene was taken from the neck at the south end of Lake Pancoast. It looks eastward, and shows the Miami Beach Bathing Pavillion and swimming Pool. Shortly after its opening the name was changed to the Miami Beach Casino. It was built by the Miami Beach Improvement Company, the third casino to appear on the Beach. It was the first casino to have a swimming pool. Because of some- what limited funds, salvaged timbers from wrecked ships were used as a framework and the exterior was covered with shingles. Mr. Carl G. Fisher, then operating on the Beach, thought that the Casino should be improved to keep step with the growing city. He offered to spend $60,000.00 on this improvement if the property would be sold to him. He planned to make it one of the outstanding amusement centers of the South. He became carried away with the idea and spent $350,- 000.00 instead, making it a fine sport center. It was later known as Casino St. John, Roman Pools, and Everglades Cabana Club. NO. 9 No. 10 Lake Pancoast This view of the lake and environs shows the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Pancoast at the head of the lake in the center background. This was the first house of concrete construction built on Miami Beach. The white strip in the right foreground is Col- lins Avenue. The street is named for the founder of Miami Beach, Mr. John S. Collins and extends the full length of the beach from north to south. The left half of the picture shows Indian Creek and Indian Creek Drive. The beach waterways, both natural and man- made, were priceless municipal assets from the very first, even before bulkheading, and bear testimony to the foresight of the pioneers. The furrows in the left background on the high ground are rows of castor beans planted during the World War. This was a government assisted plan. From the castor beans oil was extracted to be used in aeroplanes. Pine Tree Drive Originally Pine Tree Drive was an evergreen bordered lane leading from 23rd Street north to the Collins farm. The pines were first planted as a windbreak to protect the young avocado and mango orchards. Several other methods of protection had proven costly and unsatisfactory. These fast-grow- ing evergreens gave all the protection that was needed. When it was decided to develop this area as residen- tial property, the lane was allowed to remain as a thoroughfare. At that time the roadway between the two lines of pines was too sandy for practical use. Scrup palmetto fronds were cut and laid in the old ruts made by wagon travel. This reinforcement made the road firm enough to support vehicles, and later cars were driven over them. From the first this section proved popular as an exclusive residential neighborhood. It is now Tined with beautiful homes and the long twin lanes of Australian pines are an outstanding beauty spot not only of Miami Beach but of all south Florida. No. 11 Avocado Grove Mangrove Trees In its original state the island of Miami Beach was partly covered with a heavy growth of mangrove trees. The land on which the trees stood was swampy. The trees had to be cut down before the suction dredge could pump solid material over this land to make ground of sufficient height on which to build a city. To make the land the specifications required that no stumps stand higher than two feet. The mangrove trees were cut down and allowed to lay just where they fell, and the solid material from the bay bottom was pumped in on top. Far in the No. left -background can be seen a suction dredge of the 12 type used for pumping. There were approximately 3,000 acres of land to be filled in to a depth of from one to seven feet, at an average cost of $700.00 per acre. The high trees in the extreme right -background show the mangrove before cutting. A grove of avocado trees was planted about 1909 in the vicinity of what is now 41st Street. The part of the grove shown in the picture looks to the north from 41st Street. When the grove was planted the fruit was just beginning to be appreciated for its food value. Seven thousand avocado trees were planted, and one thousand mango trees. The fruit was shipped in iced crates to all parts of the United States. That there might be some revenue from the land befort the fruit trees were large enough to bear, onions and potatoes were planted in the rows between the trees. The buildings in the left -center of this picture are the workers' quarters. The pond in the left foreground was built to collect fresh water for ir- rigating purposes. The house in the south -fore- ground is the packing plant where the avocados and mangoes were prepared for shipment. No. 13