A Legacy Beyond the New River: The Stranahan House
Welcome back to our Seminole Spaces series! In this series, we explore places and spaces important to Seminole culture, history, and tourism. Today, we hop on over to Southeast Florida, to look at the impact and legacy of the Stranahan House on Fort Lauderdale’s New River. Built by Frank and Ivy Stranahan, the house was a vital trading post during Fort Lauderdale’s earliest years. The Stranahan House provided important trade connections with inland Seminole camps, and strong ties were built between them and the Seminole community. But, beyond this the Stranahans were also strong advocates for Seminole rights, particularly Ivy Stranahan and her dedication to education. So, follow along as we explore their enduring impact!
In our featured image, you can see the Stranahan House, built in 1901, from across the New River.
Below, you can see a simple map of the three locations of the Stranahan complex over time. It depicts Frank’s original camp at Tarpon Bend when he first came to Fort Lauderdale in 1893, as well as the two successive locations as he moved further northwest upriver. Austin Smith completed a series of linebru sketches in 1940, depicting various scenes in Fort Lauderdale history. Dedicated to the memory of Frank Stranahan, his fledgling beginning in Fort Lauderdale and subsequent legacy are heavily depicted throughout the publication.
Via the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society
The Trading Post
Frank Stranahan came to Florida from Ohio in 1893. Incredibly different than it is today, Fort Lauderdale in the late 19th century was a sparse collection of settlers around the remnants of old Seminole War period forts. Stranahan’s first camp location was on Tarpon Bend. His cousin invited him to work. Relocating from Ohio, he originally had landed in Melbourne, FL before traversing further south to what we now know as Fort Lauderdale (25 Feb, 2001. South Florida Sun Sentinel).
When he arrived, Miami was a bustling frontier town. But, Fort Lauderdale was a blip on the map. Soon, Stranahan had a robust business growing; he was not only the stop for the U.S. Postal Service, but also had a thriving trading post and ferry business. A shy and reserved man, Frank came into his own on the New River.
Frank, at his camp. Late 19th c., ATTK Museum, 2016.1.21
Quickly, the county moved the New River Camp further up the New River from Tarpon Bend. Frank was also able to acquire a larger chunk of land, building Stranahan and Company. This second location consisted of the wood-frame trading post, wooden bulkhead, and dock on the river for visitors. Thus, the dock became an easy landing point for Seminole canoes, as you can see in the image below. As the 19th century faded into the 20th, Frank’s trading post became a well-established trade location. In Patsy West’s The Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes of Southern Florida, she notes that “Stranahan catered to the Seminoles’ needs, adding a shelter for overnight stays and a boatslip off the river. Furs, bird plumes, and alligator hides were traded to obtain salt for tanning and flour for bread.” (50)
Dock at Stranahan’s Trading Post, ATTK Museum, 2016.17.24
At the turn of the century, the community hired 18-year-old Ivy Cromartie as a schoolteacher. For $48 a month, Ivy taught for the settlement’s nine children in a one-room schoolhouse on the property. Frank and Ivy soon connected, marrying in August 1900. Although Ivy left her paid position as schoolteacher after her marriage, she did not let go of her aspirations for educating. Instead “she turned her attention to the Seminole children, offering informal lessons at the trading post that respected the tribe’s traditions. Her approach quelled skeptical tribal elders’ fears and formed the basis for her life-long friendship with the Seminole people.”
A House Rebuilt
Frank would build the Stranahan House as we know it today in 1901. Even further northwest, the sweeping porch and distinctive woodwork made an impressive statement on the river. By this time, the railroad had come to Fort Lauderdale, bringing with it new settlers to swell the growing population. The house operated initially with the trading post on the ground floor, and the top floor acting as a community hall.
Frank’s business continued to grow, and in 1906 he would add to the Stranahan complex. Frank built additional buildings closer to the railroad stop, as well as a general store and bank. He then renovated the house for his family to live in. Fort Lauderdale was soon incorporated in 1911. Both Ivy and Frank were important figures in civic and social life of the new city. Often known as the founders of Fort Lauderdale, they leveraged their influence to try and better the lives of those around them, Seminoles included.
Unfortunately, Frank would be devastated by the Florida land collapse of the 1920s. A significant landholder, his financial reversals were further exacerbated by two horrific hurricanes. Many homes would be destroyed, worsening the already free-falling real estate market. This financial depression would hit Florida four full years before the Great Depression. Frank, who felt responsible for those around him, could not cope with disappointing his friends and family. His worsening mental health would lead to his death on May 22, 1929.
Young Seminole Children in front of Stranahan & Co., via the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society
After the death of Frank, Ivy did her best to continue, leasing a number of the rooms of the house to renters. To keep her home, Ivy also leased the bottom floor to a series of restaurants. Through it all, she stayed dedicated to her activism. Ivy was a member of Fort Lauderdale’s Planning and Zoning committee, established the “Friends of the Seminoles”, founded Broward County’s chapters of the Red Cross and Campfire Girls, and lobbied for the Homestead Exemption Act. She would stay in the home Frank built for her until her death in 1971.
Seminoles and the Stranahans
Although both Frank and Ivy were dedicated to Seminole rights and strongly advocated for them, Ivy’s dedication to education had particularly long-term impacts on the children of the Seminole Tribe. Ivy Stranahan “had no desire to transform the Indian culture and often told her pupils “We don’t want to make white people out of you, just give you the best of what you are.” (Kersey et al, 7) In many ways, Ivy was dedicated to giving Seminole children the same opportunities their white counterparts might have; access to education.
In 1937, Mrs. Stranahan identified five Seminole girls and two boys in grade school who needed a chance at education. “Only through study and vocational training,” she wrote, “could [the children] emerge as leaders among their own people.” (Kersey et al, 9) But, by that time the day school at the Dania Reservation had been closed due to high teacher turnover and abandoned, meaning there was nowhere for them to continue their education. “Friends of the Seminoles”, an organization the Ivy had helped found thus offered financial support. They sent Betty Mae Tiger, Howard Tiger, Mary and Agnes Parker, Mary Tommie, and Moses Jumper to the Cherokee Indian School in North Caroline in the fall of 1937. Betty Mae Tiger and Agnes Jumper would graduate in 1945, and Betty Mae continued to correspond with Mrs. Stranahan.
In one of her letters she wrote: ” … and I hope that it will be possible for more to follow and as I saw children following my footsteps toward an education I knew then I would never quit school which my grandmother wished me very much to do, because it means everything to me to see my tribe take an interest toward the school which we need so badly.” (Kersey et al, 9)
State Archives of Florida
Above in a photo from 1956, Ivy Stranahan is on the Dania Reservation (second from right). Ivy Stranahan helped many Seminole families transition to the Dania Reservation when it opened in 1926. (Kersey et al. 8) You also might recognize others in the image: from left to right, Mrs. Barnes, Mary Bowers, Martha Osceola, Betty Mae Jumper, Mrs. Stranahan, and Mrs. Clay.
The Historic Stranahan House Museum
Looking to visit the historic Stranahan House Museum? You’re in luck! Thankfully, after Ivy’s death in 1971, she left the house to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Ivy had been a member since 1915. The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society purchased the site in 1975. In a configuration with the Fort Lauderdale Board of Realtors, the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society soon began a project to restore the house to how it was in 1915. In 1984, the Stranahan House opened to the public as a historic house museum. Today, the Stranahan House hosts around 10,000 visitors each year, including thousands of school-age children.
This year, the South Florida Sun Sentinel honored one of the Stranahan House’s most dedicated caretakers, John Della-Cerra, in an article in May 2024 (May 11, 2024, South Florida Sun Sentinel). Della-Cerra has been a caretaker at the Stranahan House for over 35 years. Incredibly protective of the property, Della-Cera has many memories of Ivy Stranahan, fondly recalling stories and memories. “She was an amazing person, really the mother of the city,” Della-Cerra shared about Ivy in a CBS News Miami interview “She was constantly involved in education, ecology, women’s rights, and Seminoles.”
Now, Della-Cerra is one of the last connections to the Stranahan’s that exists in the Stranahan House Museum. Della-Cerra does his part to pass these stories and memories down. “Things were passed down,” Della-Cera continued, who is now 84, “That’s not being done anymore. Things are being lost. People ask me why I don’t write down history, well, I am not smart enough to do that. But there’s things that need to be preserved.” (11 May 2024, South Florida Sun Sentinel).
We encourage you to visit the Historic Stranahan House Museum, Fort Lauderdale’s Oldest Surviving Home, at 335 SE 6th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301.
Additional Sources
West, Patsy. The Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes of Southern Florida. Arcadia Publishing. 2012. Digital.
Kersey, Harry A. Jr and Rochelle Kushin. Ivy Stranahan and the “Friends of the Seminoles” 1899-1971. Digital. https://journals.flvc.org/browardlegacy/article/download/78586/75993/
Author Bio
Originally from Washington state, Deanna Butler received her BA in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Washington in 2014. Deanna moved to Florida in 2016. Soon, she began working for the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office. Deanna was the THPO’s Archaeological Collections Assistant from 2017-2021. While at the THPO, Deanna worked to preserve, support, and process the Tribe’s archaeological collection. She often wrote the popular Artifact of the Month series and worked on many community and educational outreach programs. She lives in Lakeland, FL with her husband, two sons, and dog.
