Articles by Casey Piket

Autogiro in Bayfront Park on January 11, 1931

Autogiro Takes Flight in Miami (1931)

South Florida has been at the center of aeronautical events since the dawn of aviation. Pan American and Eastern airlines were two of the largest airline carriers and were based in Miami. There was even a time when Miami was…


Painting by artist Ken Hughes depicting arrival of first train on April 13, 1896

First Trains Arrive in Miami in April of 1896

In many ways, the City of Miami got its start with the completion of the FEC Railway extension in 1896. While there were some very important people and events that triggered the extension, it was the completion of the railway…


Meeting of Friendship Garden and Civic Club in Saint Agnes Parrish Hall in August of 1937

Friendship Garden & Civic Club

When the Friendship Garden Club was formed in March of 1936, its mission was to benefit the black community through the beautification of the grounds of the hospital, schools, and other green space in the segregated neighborhood of Overtown. The…


Banyan tree in parking lot on November 28, 1954

Last Remnant of the Royal Palm Gardens

On Saturday, December 10, 1955, the last tree that once stood in the Royal Palm gardens was felled and removed from a parking lot in downtown Miami. Years earlier, the banyan tree was rooted along the west wall of the…


Booker T Washington High School on February 15, 1930

Booker T Washington School in Overtown

By the peak of the great building boom in 1925, the population growth of Dade County had more doubled since the census of 1920, necessitating the need for a significant number of new schools to serve neighborhoods that became overwhelmed…