In 1893
Hugh Taylor Birch reportedly
got on Henry Flaglers Florida
East Coast Railroad which went
through to Titusville then set
sail in a boat loaned to him by Henry
Flagler. Blown ashore to safety in
Lake Mabel (Port Everglades today)
during an unseasonable Atlantic
storm, he believed Fort Lauderdale
was where God meant him to be and
was where he would stay. Mr.
Birch purchased over three miles
of oceanfront property along Fort
Lauderdale's beach for less than
one dollar per acre. Henceforth,
he spent the winters on his beachfront
land where he could absorb the
seascapes, enjoy a daily
swim in the ocean and grow the
fruits and plants he loved.
