Historic Stranahan House Museum

While visiting a historic building may not be the first thing that comes to mind when visiting a beach town, a visit to the Stranahan House is a great way to learn some local history on how Fort Lauderdale got to be the city it is today.

Our tour guide was John and he was amazing. He even knew Ivy Stranahan who lived in the house all those years. John is 83 and is a local historian and seems to be the custodian of the house, caring for it as if it was his own and sharing stories of its past lives. He is also very knowledgeable about Florida history so I learned a lot during the 1.5 hours of the tour. Oh and that reminds me- if you drive and park with a meter, while the website says the tour is an hour, today's tour lasted almost 2 hours as John is very passionate about what he does so plan accordingly!

During my visit, as you will see in the photos, the house is decorated for the holidays which makes it just that more special. it would be a great place for a December wedding with all of the extra touches!

There is construction going on to the east of the house which makes getting to the house a bit of a challenge (enter from Las Olas as you can't get there right now from the Riverwalk although that will change in a few months when the construction is complete). This has also limited the days they are giving tours to check out their website to buy tickets and know which days it is open.

The admission price for an Adult under 60 years old is $12, Seniors (Ages 60+) pay $11, Students pay $7, and Members get in for free. Paid parking is available in the Riverside Hotel garage, on the street or in any of the nearby lots.

All in all a great way to spend a couple of hours learning about the history of Fort Lauderdale and how it is so much more than the beaches everyone knows it for!

I am not a big fan of history museums, but the Stranahan House is worth the visit. Learning about the history of Fort Lauderdale and how this city came out to be what it is today is really interesting.

The Stranahan House was built in 1901 by Frank Stranahan, credited as Fort Lauderdale's founding father, and his wife Ivy Cromartie Stranahan, the area's first school teacher. It is the oldest surviving structure in Broward County and has served as a trading post, post office, community gathering, and home to the Stranahans.

The house is a wood-frame vernacular structure with wide porches and a stunning view of the New River. It was restored by the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society and the Fort Lauderdale Board of Realtors and opened to the public as a historic house museum in 1984.

A guided tour of Fort Lauderdale's Historic Stranahan House Museum is like a journey through time. It is a link to a time when Seminole Indians made friends with a young Ohioan who settled in the frontier town now known as Fort Lauderdale.

Admission to the Historic Stranahan House Museum is by guided tour only. Experienced docents lead you through the museum to share the story of the house, the founding family, and the City of Fort Lauderdale. The tours last approximately 45-60 minutes.

The admission price for an Adult under 60 years old is $12, Seniors (Ages 60+) pay $11, Students pay $7, and Members get in for free.

They offer guided tours at 1p, 2p, and 3pm, seven days a week.

If you are a history buff like me, then here is some information about this old historical house. It is located right on the waters edge along the Fort Lauderdale River walk.

Stranahan House is the home of Fort Lauderdale pioneers Frank and Ivy Stranahan. Built in 1901 as a trading post and converted into a residence for the Stranahans in 1906, the house is the oldest surviving structure in Broward County. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and today operates as a historic house museum. The House is open for guided tours at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. daily, and hosts special events throughout the year.

At the age of 27, pioneer Frank Stranahan left Ohio and came to the area now known as Fort Lauderdale in January 1893. He took a job managing his cousin's camp and ferry at Tarpon Bend on the New River. He also established a trading business with the Seminole Indians who regarded him as a fair businessman. In 1894, Frank purchased ten acres of land west on the river and moved his trading post to it and he became the postmaster. By 1899 the community had grown large enough for a school teacher. Edwin T. King, a school trustee, built a school for his children and others to be educated at and 18 year old Ivy Julia Cromartie arrived from Miami to be the areas first school teacher. Ivy's first class had 9 students. Ivy would visit Frank Stratham at his trading post to send money back home. There weren't many people in Ft. Lauderdale at that time and dating options were limited. The couple courted and decided to get married on August 16, 1900 after which they became an important part of Ft. Lauderdale pioneer history. After she married Frank, Ivy could no longer hold a job as was the custom of the day, but she used her teaching experience to educate the Seminoles who would come to trade with Frank. The Stranahan House was built 1901 for the couple to live in. The first floor was the trading post and the upper floor was a community hall.

Ivy was a very civic minded person. She was involved in African-American, women's, and Native American's rights, as well as the first chapter of the Audubon Society and the Red Cross. The Seminole's would paddle up the New River in their canoes and trade with the Stranahan's for the good's they couldn't grow. She also served as president of Women's Club from 1913 until 1916.

In 1926 the Florida land boom collapsed due to two hurricanes followed by the Great Depression. Frank, once a wealthy land owner became destitute along with those who invested in him. The guilt coupled with ill health was too much for him to bear and he drowned himself in the New River in front of the house.

After Frank's death, Ivy carried on by renting out part of the house and taking in borders. She eventually returned to her civic causes and was a long-term member of the city's planning and zoning committee, successfully lobbying for the Homestead Exemption law. She established the Friends of the Seminoles and the Broward County chapter of the Campfire Girls. She remained active until her death on August 30, 1971, at the age of 90.

After Ivy's death she left the house to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, where she was a member since 1915. The house then became a restaurant for a couple of years. In 1975 the Stranahan House was purchased by the Ft. Lauderdale Historical Society who restored it and opened it as a museum in 1984.

Today you can tour the house for $12 with discounts for seniors and children. Tours are docent led and advance online purchase is recommended. During the holidays the house is decorated and admission to the home can be combined with a New River boat tour.

The Stranahan House is the perfect place to learn all about Ivy and Frank Stranhan, Ft. Lauderdales most famous pioneers. You can still see their legacy all over the Ft. Lauderdale, Stranahan Park named for the couple, Stranahan Landing, a park on top of the Kinney Tunnel near the spot where Frank Stranahan used to dock the ferry he used to take travelers heading north across the New River, the Ft. Lauderdale Woman's Club where Ivy served as president, the 1899 Schoolhouse Museum, a replica of the one Ivy taught at, and the Evergreen Cemetery where the couple and members of their family are buried. It is really cool to see this house from 1901, now dwarfed by the towering city buildings that sprouted up surrounding it. This historic building is well worth a visit. Oh, and it is haunted too!

Fun little museum in the middle of a modern downtown that really strives to keep and share the history of Fort Lauderdale alive. The house itself is the oldest house in Fort Lauderdale built by one of the city's founders that is well maintained and pretty much looks like it did 100 years ago. You take guided tours with knowledgeable guides and they even have events like Tea Parties where the staff wears period outfits. It's a great organization that is trying hard to preserve a bit of the past in an expanding downtown. If you're a history buff, this is a must in Fort Lauderdale. You should call ahead to make an appointment for a tour or to check on the hours.

My love for art and museums. This was a hidden gem. Built in 1901 The tour was unexpected. To learn about the history of the place was very informative. It was once a home to a lovely couple then turn into a restaurant and thensome. To go back in time and to know the struggles of life is still happening today. What a treat. I do not want to give away the history but it was well told to us during the tour. IT broke my heart to learn the outcome in the final end. The price is $12 per person very, very reasonable. Just a lovely place and well kept even though tons of hurricanes have past. It still stands today stronger than ever. I would recommend to any museum lover. This is a Must Tour!!!

We had a wonderful tour given by John, 83 years old and the caretaker for 30+ years. He had so many interesting stories to tell and was even acquainted with a member of the Stranahan family! They were so instrumental in the founding and development of Fort Lauderdale that if you have any interest in the city's history this is a bit-to-miss activity. The house is beautifully restored, right on the Riverwalk

Oh, how I adore this little gem in the river in Fort Lauderdale. There are beautiful views and rich history to be explored at the Stranahan House.

My husband and I hosted our wedding reception here. We worked with Lindsay who was really great and friendly. She helped us to be sure to use the space really well. We rented a tent and set it up in the parking lot and had our dinner there. There is also a space that is already tented and has lights for the dance floor.

The location of this venue is PERFECT. It is conveniently located on Las Olas, next door to Riverside hotel. Because it is so close, we did a block of rooms at Riverside so our guests were able to walk to our event which was pretty cool. There is also a parking garage right next door to the Stranahan house which made it simple for everyone attending. The house is right on the river so we got some beautiful professional pictures and the people on the water taxi made us laugh by cheering for us. I love that we were right on Las Olas because after we did our big exit for our wedding, some close friends walked with us over to Big City Tavern for a drink.

The one thing that was a little stressful is that we needed to use quite a few other venders. This is not your one stop shop wedding venue. However, that worked for us because we did not want to have a wedding that has been done before. Lindsay and the Stranahan House worked well with our other venders (tent/tables, caterer, DJ).

I loved that they opened the museum for our guests during cocktail hour. It was a fun little perk that many guests took advantage of while they waited for us to get photos done.

Overall, we are so glad we got married here. We love that we will always be able to return to the place where we celebrated our wedding because it is such a historical staple.

Very nice house, that you would totally miss if you didn't know it was there. Right on the river, so it's quite beautiful. It's also a nice throw back to a time gone by, especially since all around this area there is more construction going on that will totally ruin downtown forever.

But that's another topic.

The house and grounds are very well kept and the tours are nice. You can learn about the history of the city and the people who helped build it in the early days. Then you come back out into the sweltering heat and look for the nearest Starbucks.

I went on national museum day when the entrance fee was waived. They offer tours on the hour that last 1 hour. They break you into groups of 9 people. Only 18 people allowed per hour so plan ahead.

You get to walk through both levels of the home and hear the history of the people who lived there and about the settlement of Fort Lauderdale. There is a gift shop at the end of the tour.

There is a parking garage behind the Riverside Hotel and you walk a block to the home. Staff is friendly and excited about their job.