After serving as a pilot in the USMC before, during, and after WWI, Bernard L. Smith designed and flew the short-lived Curtiss MA “Dunkirk Fighter” seaplane. This true Renaissance man was then recruited by Glenn Curtiss to come to South Florida. Smith brought his assistants with him—Andy Heermance (who became chief test pilot for Glenn Curtiss) and Herman Theil (who became owner of the Hialeah Garage on Okeechobee Rd).
The following is an incomplete list of his local activities:
- In charge of the Curtiss/Bright engineering projects in the race track suburb.
- Manager of Glenn Curtiss’s Miami Movie Studios in 1924.
- Official at the Hialeah greyhound track Auto Polo games in 1924.
- General manager of Everglades Construction Company on Broadway (now Westward Drive).
- Built many homes and apartments in Country Club Estates and, in 1926, built the bridge crossing the FEC Ludlam Canal at Melrose Drive.
- Opened and managed the Curtiss Airfield on Palm Ave.
- Designed most of the buildings at the U.S. Naval Air Station at Opa-locka.
- Appointed Mayor of Hialeah in 1937 after the State Legislature ousted the old mayor and council for corruption.
- Assistant supervisor of the Miami WPA in the late 1930s.
- Injured in an airplane accident at Opa-locka in 1938.
- Commander of the U.S. Marine Reserve contingent at Opa-locka, which was called into service in 1940 for the duration of WWII.
- Killed in a car accident with an FEC train at the intersection of LeJeune Rd and US1 in 1948.
Visit the Miami Springs Historical Society and Museum The Miami Springs Historical Society is located at 501 East Drive in Miami Springs.
Miami Springs Historical Society Museum
Address:
501 East Drive
Miami Springs, FL 33166
Directions:
From the Palmetto, exit at NW 36th Street and head East on NW 36th Street. Continue East on NW 36th Street and make a left hand turn (North) on East Drive. Continue North until you reach 501 East Drive.
From I-95, take I-95 to State Road 112 Westbound. Exit State Road 112 at NW 36th Street. Continue west on NW 36th Street until you reach East Drive. Make a right hand turn at East Drive (North). Continue North on East Drive until you reach 501 East Drive.
From Hialeah, take Okeechobee Road until you reach East 4th Avenue. Turn south on East 4th Avenue and cross the bridge into Miami Springs. Take the center lane and continue south onto East Drive. You’ll see Stafford Park on your left hand side and then the entrance to the Museum Parking lot at 501 East Drive.
Map to the Miami Springs Historical Society
Miami Springs Historical Museum Hours
The Museum is open each Saturday (except Christmas & New Years) from 12 Noon to 4 pm.
Entrance is FREE!
Donations are welcome.
