5 Things You May Not Know about the Town of Davie Logo

You might see it on the signs welcoming folks to Davie or maybe you’ve visited the town website or taken a closer look at the logo on the new recycling bins, but you may not have noticed all the little pieces of our history in the Davie logo. Here’s 5 things you may not have known about our Town of Davie logo!

1. Recognize the building in the back? It’s the Old Davie School Historical Museum! Built in 1918, the Davie School was the first school built in the Everglades and also had the first indoor plumbing in town. The building served as a meeting place for dances, dinners, elections and as a shelter during hurricanes and floods. Now operating as a museum of local Davie and Broward history, the Davie School was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988!

   

   (Davie School 1926)

    

2. The dates at the bottom denote when Davie was first established in 1925, and when it was again officially incorporated in 1961. An election was held in the auditorium of the Davie School in 1925 with 45 residents voting for incorporation and electing Frank Stirling (namesake of Stirling Road) as the first mayor. The charter lapsed in 1926 and it wasn’t until 1961 that the Town of Davie was again officially incorporated.

   

   (Caricature of Frank Stirling, 1942) 

3.  Davie has long been recognized for as a town of ranching, horses and rodeo. Did you know that in the 1930s, James Bright brought, bred and trained the first thoroughbred horses in the state to Davie? He was also a partner in opening the Hialeah Race Track. Many people often remember their first visit to Davie was on horseback.  You can still visit the McDonald’s on Davie Road and tie up your horse at the corral!

   

   (Horse races at Hialeah Park)

4. The flowers on the bottom right are orange blossoms and represent the orange groves that made the agricultural community of Davie famous. The prosperity of the groves inspired the Orange Festival (now called the Orange Blossom Festival) that will celebrate its 77^th year in 2014! Griffin Road is still home to New River and Spyke’s Groves!

   

   (Aerial view of the Viele Groves)

5. The mortarboard and diploma signifies Davie’s commitment to education. The Forman family leased and eventually sold their land to the government for use as an airfield during World War II. The family added a provision that the land be used only for education. The former location of the Forman Field is now the South Florida Education Center, hosting Nova Southeastern University, Broward College, McFatter Technical Center and other university satellite campuses as well as primary and secondary schools. Davie has grown as an educational hub in the 20^th century and continues to contribute to the growing community!

   

   (Forman Field was primarily a grassy landing strip before the wheel shaped runways were paved)

Mayor Judy Paul : Broward County Pioneer

The Davie Historical Society nominated Mayor Judy Paul as a Broward County Pioneer for the 41st Annual Pioneer Day in Coral Springs. Pioneers from throughout the county will be recognized fortheir contributions at a reception on October 19.

Judy Paul was born in Hackensack, New Jersey to Lillian and Louis Weiss in 1940. After graduating with a Bachelors degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, she taught American History at Fair Lawn High School in New Jersey and pursued a Masters from Montclair College. She began an illustrious career in social studies education, spanning three decades and included special advisory positions, such as Economics Teacher On Task, Coordinator for the Pre-Law and Public Affairs Magnet programs at Ft. Lauderdale High School and Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for Broward County.

It was her love of horses that brought her to Davie in March 1972 and she has since been a dedicated advocate for preserving the natural environment that defines the town’s character.  When a proposed construction threatened a local green space, she jumped in and crawled through the thick brush in search for owl pellets to prove the area was a refuge for wildlife. She serves as a Master Gardener and works with the Broward County 4H Foundation as well as the Davie Area Land Trust, Friends of the Davie Farm Park, Inc., and is a member of the South Florida Trail Riders. She recognizes the valuable role of open space as an opportunity to encourage environmental awareness, preserve Davie’s unique spirit, and promote economic development. With a background in teaching economics, she played a part in establishing BizTown with the Junior Achievement of South Florida.

As a social studies teacher, she understood and taught her students the role of municipal government. This keen passion for education and public service fueled her successful run for a seat on the Davie Town Council in 1997. After serving three consecutive terms, she took a short hiatus before running for mayor. In 2009, she was elected and has since been reelected for another term. She continues to contribute to the community—visiting schools and reading to children, initiating a high school internship program called the Davie Public Affairs Academy, spearheading Davie as a Purple Heart community that honors local veterans, preserving the town’s agricultural roots and serving on the board for organizations such as the Broward County Farm Bureau, Project Stable, Area Agency on Aging and Disability Resource Center, Old Davie School, Davie Merchants and Industrial Association, and Wings of Gold Motorcycle Club.

She considers her position as the Town of Davie Mayor to be both a full-time job and a hobby.  She raises horses and chickens and enjoys watching the community that she loves grow.

Interested in Sharing your Story?

“A recorded oral history is more than just a quote on a page in a book. 

It is a meaningful story expressed by the person who owns that story.”

-Doug Boyd, University of Kentucky’s Louis B. Nunn Center for Oral History

The Old Davie School Historical Museum is working to collect the stories of Davie residents in order to better understand our past. We are lucky enough to have the written histories from the families of the early pioneers, but that only tells us part of the story. Every memory is important! Residents for 5, 10, or 20+ years, or maybe you rode horses through Davie before the new construction, or visited the short-lived Pioneer City attraction? We are looking to share the heritage of west Broward County and all contributions are valuable to linking together our past!

By participating in a recorded Oral History Interview, you would contribute to our exhibitions, programming, and most essentially, to broadening our town’s history! In return, we will provide a digital copy and transcript of the interview for you to share with your family--something important to pass on as the holidays are coming up!

Please let us know if you would be interested in sharing your story! Contact Kim Stansell at education@olddavieschool.org or (954)797-1044.