Fort Lauderdale Historical Society

Located on the New River, the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society tells the story of our community's history from the Pioneers of Fort Lauderdale to the present day through its four historic structures: 1905 New River Inn, which houses the Museum of History and was the first building in Broward County to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the 1905 Philemon Bryan House, a four-square Vernacular style house; 1905 Acetylene Building, which produced acetylene gas to light the New River Inn; and the 1907 King-Cromartie House Museum, which belonged to one of the first pioneer families in Fort Lauderdale. The site also includes a replica of the first Broward County school house and the Hoch Heritage Center, a public research library that holds the largest collection of material related to greater Fort Lauderdale, including more than 250,000 historic photographs.

The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society offers many programs and activities. These include: teaching children about pioneer life through hands-on activities, a museum, schoolhouse class programs, guided tours of exhibits in the museum of history, guided walking tours of the historic district and special events and lectures throughout the year.