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Vreeland Collection, Circa 1839-2000, bulk 1920-1960

 

Summary

Creator:
Vreeland, Harold
Extent:
19 Boxes (irregular size) The collection contains 19 boxes, including seven albums (consisting of photographs and scrapbooks), four Hollinger boxes, three oversized boxes (nautical charts, news clippings, and flags), and five boxes of different sizes containing artifacts and objects.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.

Background

Scope and content:

Personal papers and items of Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Vreeland, Sr. donated by Harold Vreeland. The collection showcases the Vreelands' interest in fishing, boating, nautical scenery, and community engagement over three generations of fishermen in Fort Lauderdale. It comprises numerous photographs of fish taken off the coast of Fort Lauderdale in the Gulf Stream; postcards of Fort Lauderdale and other landmarks in Florida; nautical and fishing stories written by James B. Vreeland Jr.; nautical charts; correspondence; scrapbooks; news clippings; logbooks from the House of Refuge; artifacts and nautical instruments; and audiovisual materials recorded by James B. Vreeland Jr. and his son, Harold Vreeland. The collection also documents local history and highlights Cordelia Vreeland's involvement in the Woman's Club as both historian and president. The collection contains 19 boxes (including seven albums consisting of photographs and scrapbooks), four Hollinger boxes, three oversized boxes (nautical charts, news clippings, and flags), and five boxes with different sizes containing artifacts and objects.

The collection is arranged into five series: 1. Photographs, postcards, and illustrations; 2. Boating and fishing; 3. Vreeland family personal papers; 4. Objects, artwork, and relics; 5. Audiovisual materials.

The Photographs, postcards, and illustrations series includes illustrations depicting fishing, boating, nautical scenery, the Vreeland family, hurricanes and storms, and various aquatic and marine activities. For the most part, the photographs showcase various species such as sailfish, white marlin, blue marlin, manta rays, sharks, mangrove snappers, tarpon, bonefish, mahi-mahi, barracuda, kingfish, and other game fish caught off the coast of Florida and in the Gulf Stream. It also illustrates various boats owned by the Vreeland family, including the Kingfishers (III, IV, and V), the Agnes, and a glass-bottom boat called the Mermaid of the Sea. It also features warships—such as cruisers and destroyers—navigating off the coast of Fort Lauderdale during World War II.

It also showcases members of the Vreeland family over three generations, with a particular focus on James B. Vreeland Sr. and Cordelia Vreeland. Postcards and souvenir cards depict Fort Lauderdale's nautical scenery, canals, beaches, and waterfront development, as well as notable Florida landmarks such as Cypress Gardens, the Singing Tower at Mountain Lake, and historic sites in St. Augustine. The postcards also feature big-game fishing scenes, marine wildlife, Vreeland family vessels, military ships, and regional tourist attractions. Although the majority of items portray Fort Lauderdale, a smaller number document locations outside Florida, including Halls Harbour (Nova Scotia), Alabama, and Tennessee.

The boating and fishing series includes writings by James B. Vreeland Jr., such as sea stories intended to educate the public about game‑fishing activities and boating. These stories were published in newspapers and magazines and were also broadcast on radio. The series additionally contains publications and flyers featuring photographs taken by Vreeland that document fishing activities. Other material includes the House of Refuge logbooks kept by James B. Vreeland Sr. in the early twentieth century.

The Vreeland family personal papers series includes personal documents and realia pertaining to the Vreeland family at various stages of their lives, as well as scrapbooks, news clippings, photographs, and other materials documenting the history of Fort Lauderdale and Florida. Additional materials relate to Cordelia Vreeland's involvement in the Woman's Club of Fort Lauderdale, particularly in her role as historian.

The Objects, artwork, and relics series includes nautical instruments used by James B. Vreeland Sr., banners, relics from the old Fort Lauderdale, musket balls, clothes, sharks and alligators teeth, a painting, and a wood carving wall art.

Finally, the Audiovisual materials series includes recordings made by James B. Vreeland Jr concerning game fishing and sea stories.

Biographical / historical:

The Vreeland family was among the first residents of Fort Lauderdale at the beginning of the 20th century. James Barnes Vreeland Sr. (1864–1943), a native of Flat Rock, Michigan, and his wife, Cordelia Deveaux Vreeland (1862–1958), Huguenot descent, originally from New Rochelle, New York, moved with their son, James B. Vreeland Jr. (1899–1978), to Florida in 1900. The family relocated from Larchmont, N.Y., to the Indian River area, where they purchased a citrus acreage that had not yet begun producing.

In 1906, at the request of President Theodore Roosevelt, Vreeland Sr. became captain of the Coast Guard House of Refuge (Station #4) in Fort Lauderdale, near Las Olas Beach, a post he held until 1915. The family rescued sailors shipwrecked on the reefs and managed two early local institutions: the Broward Hotel and the Las Olas Inn. He was also the first surveyors in Broward County.

During the first decade of the 20th century, Captain Vreeland Sr. faced several crises and storms, including an incident involving a crew that had mutinied against its captain off the coast of Florida. As a government agent, he boarded the vessel to reason with the crew, ultimately bringing the mutiny to an end. He was also involved in real estate and took an active role in civic projects aimed at developing Fort Lauderdale. He and his wife were charter members of the First Presbyterian Church. In 1943, Vreeland Sr. died in an accident when his tractor went out of control and overturned, killing the 78 year old.

His wife, Cordelia Deveaux Vreeland, was an active member of the Woman's Club of Fort Lauderdale, serving both as president and historian. She contributed to the establishment of Fort Lauderdale's first public library, the forerunner of today's Broward County Library. Upon her arrival in the area, she played the organ for Methodist and Baptist services. Between 1912 and 1913, Cordelia Vreeland directed the city's first choral group, known as the Tuesday Evening Woman's Chorus.

Their son, James B. Vreeland Jr. (married to Dorothy Viola Simpson), continued the family's legacy as early as 1913 by expanding the fishing business as a charter captain. Captain Vreeland Jr. built his four boats, the Kingfishers, and went off the coast of Florida and the Bahamas capturing different kinds of game fish—sailfish, blue and white marlins, sharks, mantas, dolphins, barracudas, and others. Vreeland Jr. took his passion to another level by photographing and filming his catches for game fishing audiences from the 1920s to the early 1970s. Vreeland Jr. also shared his experience at sea by writing articles in newspapers and magazines, broadcasting stories on the radio during WWII, and lending his photographs to editors interested in publishing fishing action images. Outside of fishing, Vreeland Jr. became involved in the Bahia-Mar Charter Boatmen's Association as an active member and later served as its president.

During WWII, Captain Vreeland Jr. served in an unofficial role as a "sea mailman," retrieving ship letters that had been thrown overboard so they could be preserved in case a vessel was attacked by German forces. In 1961, the City of Fort Lauderdale recognized James B. Vreeland Jr.'s contributions to the city's development by issuing a citation of esteem for his genuine pioneership.

His son, Harold Vreeland (1924-1997), followed the same path as his predecessors by keeping the charter business alive at Bahia Mar. At a young age, Harold learned fishing techniques, breaking a record at just 14 by catching a giant mangrove snapper with rod and reel. During WWII, Harold Vreeland served in the Navy for over three years and spent 13 months on active duty in the Pacific aboard the destroyer USS Mansfield, one of the 17 ships in Admiral Halsey's fleet. Harold Vreeland participated in numerous tournaments in the United States and the Bahamas on several privately owned yachts. Married for more than fifty years to Lorraine DeBow Vreeland (1921-2011), the couple had two children: Jane and Jack. Jack Vreeland was the last of the family to take an avid interest in fishing off the coast of Florida.

Processing information:

This collection received item level processing. This finding aid may be updated to reflect new descriptions as well as acquisitions to the collection.

Accruals:

Harold Vreeland donated the original part of this collection in 1985. He donated accruals to the collection in 1985 (BCHA-1985.7), 1993 (BCHA-1993.20), and 1996 (BCHA-1996.1).

Physical description:
Good condition. Some items fragile, broken, or damaged.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Access to collections in the Broward County Library Special Collections is not authorization to publish. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection or the Broward County Library.

Preferred citation:

Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.

Location of this collection:
Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library
100 S. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale
FL
33301
USA