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 lovingly 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. The Stranahan House has stood at the center of Fort Lauderdale’s growth since it was built and has played a significant role in the economic and social life of this community.
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.
The mission of the Historic Stranahan House Museum is to tell the story of the birth of our community through the lives of two extraordinary people and the homestead they created and to serve as an enduring legacy for historic preservation.
Our purpose is to preserve Stranahan House as a museum, historic site, and social center for the community; to interpret Stranahan House through appropriate restorations, exhibitions, educational programs, and tours; and to promote Stranahan House so that residents and visitors of all ages are aware of their opportunity to learn about the history of the region, thus furthering the social, cultural and historic viability of the community.
The House is funded through admissions, private donations, grants, and memberships. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.