1996: The FEC Railway/Miami Centennial

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By Seth H. Bramson

In 1986 Myrna and I published “Miami’s 90th Anniversary Calendar,” meant to be the very first publication—ten years in advance of the great event—related to that sparkling moment in Miami history which would take place on the weekend of July 28th, 1996, exactly one hundred years to the day after Miami was incorporated as a city. Unhappily to report, and as I would learn going forward, the jealousy of others in the Miami historic community was so virulent that several people did all and everything they could to deter and hinder sales of that marvelous piece. Although not naming names, they are still engaged in doing their vile mischief today, 22 years after said event.

In any case, we had the honor of presenting that very first Centennial-related piece to the city, whether several others liked it or not, which they did not. But the event was to be a spectacular, made more so by the fact that the Florida East Coast Railway, through the urging of my good friend, Ken Charron, then the FEC’s corporate attorney, elected to be a full participant and celebrate its Centennial over that same weekend.

The railroad’s Centennial had actually been in September of 1895, but in discussing it with our then-president, the late Carl Zellers, we realized that we would get a great deal more publicity and focus by working hand in hand with the city and to that end the railroad officially named me as Company Historian in 1994, with the duty of coordinating the railroad’s celebration jointly with the city’s, and coordinate we did!

Numerous FEC employees volunteered and the then-Chief of FEC Police and I worked together to bring the display car to fruition. The FEC turned over a former baggage car to us, with Jim providing the models and me providing all of the photos and historic memorabilia and on Friday morning of the Centennial weekend the FEC brought the display train, including the exhibit car, to downtown Miami, where the city graciously allowed us to block all northbound lanes of Biscayne Boulevard with said train. The car was set up with a bathroom and private sleeping facility for me and I was in attendance for the full three day weekend, greeting more than 10,000 people who came to see the car over that weekend. While the city had a number of fun functions, the historic display was courtesy of the F E C Railway and former Miami Herald writer Geoff Tomb had the following in his article on the Centennial: “….the only thing historic about what should have been a complete and total history weekend was the wonderful FEC display train and exhibit car, overseen by long time Miamian and noted FEC historian, Seth Bramson.”

Because the Centennial was a once-in-a-lifetime event, the railroad asked me to re-write and bring up to date the company’s “The Story of a Pioneer,” which had first been published in 1935-36 and then republished in 1946, 1952 and 1956, the 1996 version having the words “Centennial Edition” above the title. As it turned out, I “did” every historic exhibit that was done in Greater Miami for the Centennial, except the one at the history museum, at which Miami’s walking fountain of MISinformation would not allow me to participate or provide any items for the display, a pattern that person has followed for many years. (As I like to say, “be assured that the enmity did not begin with me.”)

For the Centennial, I went to the then-director of the Jewish Museum of Florida and suggested to her that, for the great event, we feature the works of the FEC’s fabled Company Photographer, the late, great Harry M. Wolfe, considered, along with Florida Photographic Concern in Fort Pierce, Burgert Brothers in Tampa and Miami photographers Hoit, Fred Hand and Romer (along with several others) the greatest of all Florida photographers. The director told me she loved the idea but that this was the Jewish Museum and asked me what the connection was. Happily, I was able to explain that Harry Wolfe was Jewish, celebrated the Shabbos, and would not work from sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday. She loved the idea and “By Train to America’s Playground: The Photographs of FEC Railway Company Photographer Harry M. Wolfe” became and remains as one of the best-attended exhibits in the museum’s history.

I had planned, in this column, to move on to the third book, co-authored with Professor Gregg Turner and titled “The Plant System of Railroads, Steamships and Hotels,” the first-ever history of any major Southern industrial enterprise. Henry Plant, of course, was the Henry Flagler of the west coast and of central Florida and is the second-greatest name in Florida history, second only the Mr. Flagler. However, last Thursday evening, I attended an alumni event (my first master’s degree was earned at St. Thomas University and I taught there for twelve years) to welcome that school’s incoming president and going through the very nice hors d’oeuvres selection I chose two Swedish meatballs, a major mistake because one of them, naturally, the one I bit into, had a small piece of bone in it and that piece planted itself between my two front teeth. Today—Monday the 24th—I spent three hours “in the chair” at Dr. Ron’s and Dr. Mike’s North Miami Dental office (just off N E 6th Avenue on 124th St.) where Dr. Mike did a spectacular job removing the tooth, which had cracked in half, fashioning a temp and grafting bone so that, in several months, he can put in the post and then, several months later, put on the crown. And why am I sharing that with you? Because right after class this morning I went up to Aventura for my regular appointment with one of the greatest primary physicians in America, Dr. Eugene Eisman, who practices with his wife Diane and to whom I have been going for more than twenty years and after getting a great report headed immediately to see Dr. Ron and Dr. Mike.

Folks, I am “schvach,” Yiddish for exhausted, so at this point will beg off and in the next column you will be able to read about the late in life burst of creativity that I mentioned several columns previous to this. Hopefully I will get some rest tonight and nothing but soft food until Wednesday evening. As I like to say, “I would only wish this mischigass on my worst enemy,” and that subhuman lout knows exactly who he is! Be well, enjoy, and back with you in a few days.

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