“Really Cool” Air Conditioned (?) restaurant in Miami circa 1930. – Swampy’s Florida Historic Photos.

by on November 6, 2024 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Florida Architecture, Florida Food Stops

“It’s Really Cool” declares the sign of an installation of the new-fangled air conditioner at the Golf Park Building restaurant in Miami in the 1920s or 30s. Seth Bramson, author of the book noted below, notes that the open doors might just indicate that the air might not be as conditioned on the day shown.

This photo is from “Historic Photos of Greater Miami” by the preeminent historian of Miami and official historian of the Florida East Coast Railroad, Seth Bramson. I recommend all and anything by Seth to add to your Florida history collection.
You can purchase this, mostly photo, coffee table book by clicking here:
https://amzn.to/48FpF8Y

This book is part of the swampy’s Florida library.
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#Restaurants #Miami #Airconditioning #Cool #history #Floridahistory

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Swampy’s Florida says Happy Saxophone Day!

by on November 6, 2024 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Swampy's Strips

Pasco Pete and Penney celebrating Saxophone Day with Greg, the saxophonist!
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#Florida #Music #SaxophoneDay #Saxophone #Celebration #Daily #DailyCelebration #Cartoon #Dailycartoon #Happy #Webtoon #Webcomic
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Go Greyhound! from Miami News, 1950. – Swampy’s Florida Tuesday Ads.

by on November 5, 2024 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Florida Advertising, Swampy's Florida History

This ad appeared in the Miami News, January 16th, 1950. Notice the round trip to Key West – $6.25!

For those too young to know: Greyhound stations were rather prominent in Downtown areas of cities all over Florida. Bus travel was very common as cars were quite an expense to the average American. This was before the credit card monster was released upon the general public.
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#Florida #Greyhound #Miami #Travel #Transportation #Ads #Advertising

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Swampy’s Florida says Happy Model Railroad Month!

by on November 5, 2024 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Swampy's Strips

Alva loves riding on trains!

Model trains have always been popular in Florida since the wooden version appeared over a century ago. This was mostly due to the prevalence of trains wherever anyone lived in our state. Often trainspotting could be as simple as looking out the front door of the house.

We’ve let the automobile and highways take over and for granted. The wonders of trains nearly forgotten or a nuisance stalling a car for a minute or two.

For many decades there were model train stores all over Florida. Just about all are gone.
Did you go to model train stores?

You can learn more about Model Railroad Month by clicking here:
https://www.nmra.org/news/national-model-railroad-month
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#ModelRailroadMonth #Train #Florida #TrainCartoon #Cartoon #DailyCartoon #daily #Happy #Month #November #Celebrate #Celebration

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With Soupy Sales at the Peanut Butter Festival, @ 1989, Grosvenor Hotel, Lake Buena Vista – Swampys Florida Travels.

by on November 4, 2024 at 7:43 am
Posted In: Swampy's Florida News

Around 1989 I brought along little Amber Thomas to be part of the the National Peanut Butter Festival at the Grosvenor Hotel in Lake Buena Vista. The “world’s largest peanut butter sandwich” was assembled. Their method was to layout dozens of slices of bread side by side and spread peanut butter to each slice. From a bit of distance the appearance was a monster size sandwich. There were peanut butter games and a Mr. Peanut and peanut samples and … it was amazing all the angles found to use peanut butter to entertain the hundreds of chidlren and families at the event.

The big deal for me was meeting Soupy Sales, comedian and television star. He was just off a stint as afternoon radio host in New York on WNBC in between well-known hosts Don Imus and Howard Stern. I recently back from schooling at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon & Graphic Art in New Jersey. While there I got to tune into Soupy’s program where he brought back many of his television characters and Soupy Schtick. I’m tickled to have ben able to get this photograph. Not sure why Amber wasn’t in it. There was a far more going on than I ever imagined and Amber was likely swept up in a mechanical ride or game.

In the mid-late ’80s, over on WNBC, there was another aspect of radio that had been and would return to Central Florida radio – “Captain” Frank Reed. While Soupy was doing afternoons, Captain Frank did the program right after Howard Stern. Stern hated Reed and went after him all he could. Stern had a very big problem with Reed being a Christian. In an odd turn of events, Reed and Stern were both fired from WNBC in 1985.

Reed had already done radio in Jacksonville, and, after WNBC returned , Reed helmed afternoons at pop station WOCL for years. Eventually he settled in more his mindset, working in Christian radio in Texas.
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#Florida #WNBC #SoupySlaes #Comedy #Comedian #Peanuts #PeanutButter #Sandwich #Floridafun #LakeBuenaVista #GrosevenorHotel #HowrdStern #Radio

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Greetings from Largo in Pinellas County! – Swampy’s Florida Postcards.

by on November 4, 2024 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Florida Paperwork, Florida Postcards, Swampy's Collectibles

The postcards with dynamic locality names filled with local flare were very popular. These days, such postcards are a graphic presentation of what was thought important by promoters of the areas having the postcards produced.

This postcard wasn’t mailed and has no postmark. However, the fruit and flowers of decades gone by is a strong indicator this postcard was available prior to 1960. 

This postcard is part of the Swampy’s Florida collection.
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#Postcard #FloridaPOstcard #Collectibles #Largo #LargoFlorida 

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Swampy’s Florida says Happy Peanut Butter Lovers Month!

by on November 4, 2024 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Swampy's Strips

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Trilby finds a bite of a triple decker peanut butter sandwich does things to his mouth that might make a second bite impossible.

So, if a turkey is beyond your budget this year, you have a perfect excuse to serve peanut butter sandwiches on Thanksgiving!

 
You can learn more about Peanut Butter Lovers Month by clicking here:
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#Florida #Cartoons #Alligator #CartoonAlligator #Sandwiches #PeanutButterLoversMonth #PeanutButter #Celebration #Cartoon #Daily #DailyCartoon #DailyCelebration #Happy #Florida #Peanut #Butter #PeanutButter #Lunch #Webtoon #WebComic #WebCartoon
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The Shrine of La Leche, St. Augustine. – Swampy’s Florida Sunday Services.

by on November 3, 2024 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Florida Architecture, Florida Churches, Swampy's Florida History

The Shrine of La Leche, St. Augustine. – Swampy’s Florida Sunday Services.

This postcard doesn’t have a date on it.
Well, that is except for the date of September 8th, 1565, which is when it is thought our country’s first mass occurred at this site. That is, if you imagine in 1500s one is noting when and where Catholic masses were occurring throughout the vast disorganized swath of uncategorized land that still had a couple hundred years to becoming the United States. Beware writings of historical instances of “Firsts”. Most are actually never known. Without documentation, how could we know? Even that, at times, becomes suspect.

This little church still stands in St. Augustine. It sits in a gathering of oak trees. This structure is considered the oldest shrine in the United States, that is easier to quantify.

Nevertheless, this tiny hidey-hole of faith is tucked under finely aged oaks, a very small part of a very large chunk of land run by Diocese of St. Augustine. There are other buildings, including a museum, gift shop (With many a nifty item for even non-Catholics), a cross of immense proportions and plenty of space to calm thyself along an alcove of the Matanzas River, a river title hardly calming.

This small church is part of a giant complex in Saint Augustine.
You can visit by clicking here:
https://missionandshrine.org/

This postcard is part of the Swampy’s Florida collection.
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#Florida #Postcards #History #Floridahistory #StAugustine #SaintAugustine #Church #Churches #Catholics #Catholicism

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Swampy’s Florida says Happy National Farm Toy Show Days!

by on November 3, 2024 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Swampy's Strips

In Swampy’s travels over time he has seen many a wee child play with toys. Toys are played a lot less these days. Decades ago playing with toys were also a rite of passage to future endeavors for young people. It was normal to find the young of Florida farm families playing with toy tractors or in piles of hay. Since farming was part of everyday life for most Floridians, farm toys were very popular.

Many native Florida farmers can tell you tales of playing with farm toys. Most of our Florida history museums have farm toys as part of their exhibits. The Florida Pioneer Village in Dade City has a very good exhibit of farm toys. Please visit to see those!

You can plan a trip to the Florida Pioneer Village by clicking here: http://www.pioneerfloridamuseum.org/

You can learn more about National farm Toy Show Days by clicking here:
https://www.toyfarmer.com/2024-national-farm-toy-showreg.html
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#NationalFarmToyShow #FarmToyShow #Farm #Toy #Celebration #Daily #Cartoon #DailyCartoon #DailyCelebration #Florida #Farmers #REalEstate #FloridaLand #Webtoon #Webcomic

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Beef-a-Roni – Swampy’s Florida Recipes.

by on November 2, 2024 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Florida Recipes

This recipe is from Hillsborough County school lunchroom managers collection of recipes.
The lot was gathered in a 1966 book, ‘A Book for Cooking’. Many of the recipes are from meals made and served back when full meals were made and served to children at our Florida schools.

I can not find where this book is available at this time.

This is part of the Swampy’s Florida cook book collection.

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#Pizza #Burger #Florida #History

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Swampy’s Florida says Happy James K. Polk’s Birthday!

by on November 2, 2024 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Swampy's Strips

During Swampy’s hundreds of years of life he has met and helped many. Including James K. Polk as he visited Florida and was considering  to run for president. Polk became president and gave his inauguration address March 4th, 1845.

Due to this being the day after Florida became a state, the action spurred a new county to name itself after the president. So came about Polk County.
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#Florida #History #FloridaHistory #Birthday #celebration #daily #DailyCelebration #cartoon #DailyCartoon #Happy #Polk #WebComic #Webtoon

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Swampy’s Florida Friday Train Stops: The Celestial Railroad.

by on November 1, 2024 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Swampy's Florida History

A little person with a big hat stands atop this locomotive ran that between 1889 until 1895 from Jupiter to Juno.

The railroad was named the Celestial Railroad. It’s name came as two other rail stops between Jupiter and Lake Worth were named Mars and Venus. The train would start at Jupiter and then chug to Mars and then to Venus. But there was one problem. There was no way to  turn around.

So, the Celestial Railroad had to run backwards all the way back to Jupiter.

Not sure if the little girl is on the train is coming…or going.

This image if from ‘Pictorial History of Florida’ by Richard Bowe.
You can get a copy of this book by clicking here or below.
https://amzn.to/3NO1KL3

This book is part of the Swampy’s Florida collection.
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#Train #Florida #History #FloridaHistory #Transportation #Travel #Jupiter #VEnus #LakeWorth #Railroads

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