Ohio native Frank Stranahan arrived in what is now Fort Lauderdale in January 1893 at the age of 27. Hired to manage his cousin’s ferry and camp at Tarpon Bend on the New River, Frank quickly built a thriving trading business with the Seminole Indians. Known for his fairness and respect, Frank earned the Seminoles’ trust, and they often traveled by dugout canoe to trade, camping at the post for several days at a time.
In 1894, Frank acquired ten acres of land farther west along the river to expand his business. This site became the heart of the small New River settlement, where Frank also served as postmaster. By 1899, the population had grown enough to warrant a schoolteacher, and 18-year-old Ivy Julia Cromartie from Lemon City (now North Miami) was hired for $48 a month. The community built a one-room schoolhouse for Ivy and her nine students.
During her five-month stay, Ivy and Frank became close and married on August 16, 1900. Like many women of her time, Ivy left her formal teaching position after marriage—but not her passion for education. She began offering informal lessons to Seminole children, using a culturally sensitive approach that helped earn the respect of tribal elders and forged lasting bonds with the Seminole community.
In 1901, Frank built the two-story structure now known as Stranahan House. The ground floor functioned as a trading post, while the upper floor served as a community hall. As Fort Lauderdale grew—especially after the arrival of the railroad in 1896—Frank expanded his businesses, opening a general store and bank nearby. The original building was remodeled into the Stranahan family’s residence, with further renovations between 1913 and 1915 adding plumbing, electricity, and an interior staircase.
The area was officially incorporated as the City of Fort Lauderdale in 1911, named after forts built during the Second Seminole War. As key figures in the city’s development, Frank and Ivy donated land for public use and led numerous civic efforts. But the prosperity was not to last. The collapse of Florida’s land boom in 1926, followed by two hurricanes, left Frank financially devastated. Burdened by personal losses and the financial ruin of close friends, Frank tragically took his own life on May 22, 1929, by drowning in the New River in front of his home.
Following Frank’s death, Ivy remained in the house, renting rooms and leasing the lower floor to restaurants to make ends meet. She re-engaged in civic life and left a legacy of leadership and service. Among her many accomplishments, Ivy served on Fort Lauderdale’s planning and zoning committee, advocated for the Homestead Exemption law, and founded local chapters of the Red Cross, Campfire Girls, and Friends of the Seminoles. She remained in her beloved home until her death on August 30, 1971, at the age of 90.
After Ivy’s passing, the house was left to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, of which she had been a member since 1915. In 1975, the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society purchased the property, and in partnership with the Fort Lauderdale Board of Realtors, began restoration efforts to return the home to its 1915 appearance.
In 1981, Stranahan House, Inc. was formed as a separate nonprofit organization. Restoration was completed in 1984, and that same year, the house officially opened as a historic house museum. Today, the Historic Stranahan House Museum welcomes over 10,000 visitors annually, including thousands of Broward County students, preserving the legacy of Fort Lauderdale’s founding family and sharing the story of the city’s beginnings.
Frank and Ivy came to know each other during the five months Ivy lived and taught at the settlement. They married on August 16, 1900, at her family home, and as was not uncommon for married women at the time, Ivy gave up her paid position. She did not, however, give up her teaching aspirations. Instead, she turned her attention to the Seminole children, offering informal lessons at the trading post that respected the tribe’s traditions. Her approach quelled skeptical tribal elders’ fears and formed the basis for her life-long friendship with the Seminole people.
Frank built the present-day Stranahan House in 1901; the lower floor served as a trading post and the upper floor as a community hall. By 1906, Frank’s business had expanded to include a general store and bank and he built a new building closer to the railroad, which had arrived in 1896. The old trading post was renovated as a residence for the Stranahans. The house went through a second major renovation between 1913 and 1915, when an interior staircase, electric wiring, and plumbing were installed. As Frank’s businesses grew, so did the settlement.
Named Fort Lauderdale after the army forts of the Second Seminole War the area was incorporated in 1911. Frank, by now a major landowner, donated property for many public projects and both he and Ivy took on leadership roles in the social and civic life of their developing city. In 1926, Florida’s land boom collapsed. Frank suffered extreme economic reverses that were worsened by two devastating hurricanes. Adding to Frank’s distress was the knowledge that friends who had invested with him were financially ruined as well. On May 22, 1929, deeply depressed and in ill health, Frank committed suicide, drowning in the New River in front of his home.
Ivy carried on, making ends meet by renting out rooms of her home and eventually leasing the lower floor to a series of restaurants. She gradually returned to her civic activism.
Among her many accomplishments, she became a long-term member of the city’s planning and zoning committee, successfully lobbied for the Homestead Exemption law, established the Friends of the Seminoles, and founded Broward County chapters of the Red Cross and Campfire Girls. Ivy remained in her home until her death on August 30, 1971, at the age of 90.
The house was left to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, of which Ivy had been a member since 1915. It was purchased by the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society in 1975, and in partnership with the Fort Lauderdale Board of Realtors, a project to restore the house to its 1915 configuration was begun in 1980.
In 1981, Stranahan House, Inc. became a separate non-profit entity. Construction was completed in 1984, and the house opened to the public as a historic house museum later that year. Supported in large part by the generosity of the community that Frank and Ivy Stranahan helped to found, the Historic Stranahan House Museum is host to 10,000 visitors each year, including thousands of Broward County school students.