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School was held in a packing house along the South New River (C-11) canal until 1911, when a wooden, two-room school house was constructed on a one-acre piece of property two blocks east of our current location. By 1916, the Davie settlement had outgrown the small wooden structure and the need for a larger school was quickly addressed. The Davie School, designed in 1917 by August Geiger, one of South Florida’s most prominent early architects, opened its doors in 1918 to 90 students.
| 1914 Wooden School House |
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The school quickly became the center of community life in Davie, with dances and box suppers, holiday programs and community plays, social functions, political rallies and elections. In 1925, a small group of residents met in the ‘official town hall’ meeting place, the upper room of the school, to initiate incorporation. Frank Stirling, a prominent Davie pioneer, was elected the first Mayor of Davie. During the Flood of 1947, the second floor of the school was one of the few dry spots in town and many people took shelter there. The school was routinely used as a hurricane shelter.
Old Davie School is a rare, early landmark of Broward County’s westward development, a symbol of early twentieth century progressiveness in Florida. This historic structure was the first permanent school in the Everglades and is now Broward County’s oldest existing school building. It was in continuous use as a school until 1980. From the day it opened, the Davie School served as the area’s source of education as well as a center for community gatherings.
| 1918 High School Bus to Fort Lauderdale |
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The Davie School Foundation was established in 1984 to protect and restore the Davie School to the integrity of its earlier appearance as a two-story masonry vernacular structure with a blend of Spanish and Moorish architecture. The Foundation, working with Town of Davie, Soroptimists International of Davie, Davie Historical Society, Friends of Old Davie School and the community at large, continue to preserve and operate this important piece of Broward County, Florida’s history.
On March 29, 1988 Old Davie School achieved listing on the National Register of Historic Places. In June of that same year the Broward County School Board declared it as ‘surplus property’ and transferred ownership to the Town of Davie.
In an area plagued by the wholesale destruction of its historical and cultural legacy, the preservation of the Old Davie School is a glimmer of hope to the community. Many of the people involved in its restoration attended school there and watched their children and grandchildren do the same. They loved this old building. It was part of the fabric of their lives and continues to be to this day. In working to save their school, the significance of the building was brought into focus for its origins and for its ‘sentimental value.’ The history of the Davie community is a strong foundation of the people and their relationships to each other. In an area surrounded by urban sophistication, the citizens of Davie have held onto their family-oriented rural lifestyle with a commitment that was handed down by the early pioneers. With a population that has significantly changed in the last ten years, those seeking adventure, good fortune and a ‘good neighbor’ atmosphere, are not disappointed.
| Packing House “School” 1910 |
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Today, the Old Davie School Historical Museum is a historic, cultural, social and artistic resource dedicated to providing information and learning opportunities for students and the community at large. The building represents an irreplaceable link with the history of early 20th century pioneering, settlement and education in Western Broward County.
Having been restored, the Old Davie School has regained the integrity of those early years. The classrooms downstairs house the history of the pioneers' westward movement into the Everglades. Chock full of artifacts, photographs, articles, maps and historic items, you will "Step Back in Time" and experience the history that shaped this community.
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