The Deerfield Beach Historical Society — Attraction in Deerfield Beach

I came over for one of the free tours they offer on Saturday mornings. This is one of four sites that the Deerfield Beach Historical Society operates in the city. The historic home was the residence of James D. and Alice Butler. They married in 1906 in Texas and came to visit a relative in Florida in 1910 and ended up staying. James had made money by owning a small grocery store. Later when he moved to Deerfield Beach he farmed green beans.

The house was built in a Mediterranean Revival style according to plans Alice won in a Ladies Home Journal contest. The 2 story house cost $10,000 to build. The only change Alice made to the plans was that they she didn't want the step down into the dining room that was common in houses of that period because she didn't want the children she was planning for to trip and fall. Sadly due to a medical condition Alice was never able to bear children. Instead she and James looked after the children of the community and were very active in causes for them. James was a member of the first Broward School Board in 1915. There is still a scholarship in their name that is given to this day to every student who graduates from Deerfield Beach High School. Alice formed the first women's club and James served as a Broward County Commissioner. They were both active in their church. The furniture in the house is almost entirely original except for the dining room table that was broken and replaced when it was used to cover up a window during the 1928 Hurricane.

In 1974 the houses was designated a historic site. The Butler's left the house to the Deerfield beach Historical Society in 1977. They operate a small gift shop in the back of the house. Besides the house the property also has a Kester Cottage which was economical housing in the early 1920's. It looks like it was being used for storage. Another nice feature of the property is the 100 year old banyan tree.

My tour was conducted by a young volunteer. She did an amazing job and I learned a lot about people I had previously heard of but did not know that much about. If you are interested in visiting a city wide garage sale is being held at the Butler house on January 31st. More dates for tours can be found on the historical...

Went to the Bonnet House for a Art Exhibit and had a nice tour. Very friendly and informative volunteers gave a nice tour. The grounds are wonderful and a nice venue for small events!!!

A shout-out to the hard working...

The house is only open on tje weekend, but I wanted to take a picture of the tree. The giant tree next to the house is just beautiful and...