Dispatch 15

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Backstory: Glenn Curtiss

Glenn H. Curtiss is a real person. Hailed as the founder of the U.S. aircraft industry, he began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. He made the first long-distance flight in the U.S. and eventually built aircraft for the U.S. Army and Navy. Around the time of World War I, he cashed out his stock in his company for $32 million, $500 million in today’s dollars, and retired to Florida. Looking to start a flying school, he and a partner bought 17,000 acres of scrub and pasture that would become Hialeah and Opa-Locka. And a town founded in 1926 as Country Club Estates. Later, engineers found a source of pure water under the golf course, and in 1930, the town got a new name: Miami Springs. That year, Curtiss died of complications from an appendicitis attack. He was just 52. Miami Springs originally was popular with employees at nearby railyards. After World War II, it became a popular bedroom community for people in the aviation business. Just south of it is the tenth busiest air terminal in America: Miami International Airport. 

Talks

March 11, 5:30 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Fla at Historical Society of Palm Beach County
March 13, 2 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Fla at Historical Society of Martin County, Elliott Museum
March 14, 2 p.m.: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Miami Pioneers and Natives of Dade.
March 17, 6 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Boca Raton Historical Society
March 18, 2pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Palm Beach County Library, Hagen Road Branch
March 18, 6:30 p.m.: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Mandel Public Library, West Palm Beach
March 26, 6 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Boca Raton Library
April 4, 1 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at HistoryMiami.
April 15, 2 pm: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Deerfield Beach Historical Society
May 12, 6 p.m: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Delray Beach Historical Society
Sept. 27, 1 p.m: Talking Hypocrite’s Row and Prohibition in Florida at Hollywood Historical Society
Nov. 22: Look for me at the Miami Book Fair street fair!

Click to watch videos:
Prohibition Museum, Savannah, Ga. (With Travis Spangenburg):
Prohibition in Florida (With Ben Brotemarkle. Florida Historical Society):

Learn the stories behind Hypocrite’s Row: https://t.co/aiSbJNnSYA
Watch more Hypocrite’s Row Videos: https://tinyurl.com/bddd69cp

See you on the beat!