Coral Springs Florida History

For thousands of years, South Florida was a vast wilderness inhabited by native Indians until Spanish and European explorers arrived. The Seminole Indian Wars and the Civil War brought turmoil and conflict between the Native Americans and settlers trying to establish homesteads and military bases. In the late 1880’s, Henry Flagler’s railroad brought efficient transportation the coastal region and the area was slowly bringing permanent residents from northern states. At the early 1900s, the area known today as Coral Springs, Henry “Bud” Lyons owned approximately 20,000 acres of marshy wilderness. With the help Bahamian workers, he drained the land and turned it into farmland for growing beans. After his death, his children used the land to raise 5,000 head of cattle. When the State of Florida drained more of the land with a series of canals and levees after WWII, Coral Ridge Properties of Fort Lauderdale, expanded development into northwest Broward County and bought the Lyons land for a “master community”. The city incorporated in 1963. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation brought a lot of attention to the area when it created the “Electra Center” to showcase modern conveniences and new security systems. Meeting a growing demand for housing, schools and new businesses, the city’s population was almost 100,000 by 1985. Today it offers a blend of cultural programs, entertainment and sports venues that attracts visitors from South Florida communities.

Photographs of early Coral Springs history and memorabilia collected from early promotional events for the city are displayed at the entry to the Center for the Arts, the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, the Northwest Regional Library and at the Museum of Coral Springs History in Mullins Park.