Palmetto Bay in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Deering Estate
Established 1890
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, May 4, 2014
1. The Deering Estate at Cutler Marker
Inscription.
Deering Estate. Established 1890. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986, the Deering Estate at Cutler is a 444 acre environmental, archaeological, historical and architectural preserve owned by the State of Florida and managed by the Miami-Dade County Park and Recreation Department. In 1913, Charles Deering - a wealthy industrialist from Chicago, first Chairman of International Harvester, early environmentalist and patron of the arts - purchased the original 320 acres of the Estate to establish his winter home in South Florida. Long before the area became a bustling community in South Dade, the history of the Deering Estate at Cutler chronicled many cultures inhabiting the land over thousands of years. Archaeological records date back more than 10,000 years. Paleo-Indians, Tequestas, Seminoles, Afro-Bahamians, and others built bay side communities on these grounds until the 1700's. And, in the 1890s, one of Miami's early pioneer townships - the Town of Cutler - had been platted here. A day, even an hour, at the Estate is an experience unlike any other in South Florida. The Deering Estate at Cutler represents an island in the midst of the sea of suburbia where rustling palms, the song of birds, and the splash of the bay water take the visitor back to a simpler time.
Welcome.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986, the Deering Estate at Cutler is a 444 acre environmental, archaeological, historical and architectural preserve owned by the State of Florida and managed by the Miami-Dade County Park and Recreation Department. In 1913, Charles Deering - a wealthy industrialist from Chicago, first Chairman of International Harvester, early environmentalist and patron of the arts - purchased the original 320 acres of the Estate to establish his winter home in South Florida. Long before the area became a bustling community in South Dade, the history of the Deering Estate at Cutler chronicled many cultures inhabiting the land over thousands of years. Archaeological records date back more than 10,000 years. Paleo-Indians, Tequestas, Seminoles, Afro-Bahamians, and others built bay side communities on these grounds until the 1700's. And, in the 1890s, one of Miami's early pioneer townships - the Town of Cutler - had been platted here. A day, even an hour, at the Estate is an experience unlike any other in South Florida. The Deering Estate at Cutler represents an island in the midst of the sea of suburbia where rustling palms, the song of birds, and the splash of the bay water take the visitor back to a simpler time.
Welcome
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
Location. 25° 36.955′ N, 80° 18.505′ W. Marker is in Palmetto Bay, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. Marker is at the intersection of SW 72nd Avenue and SW 167th Street, on the right when traveling north on SW 72nd Avenue. Marker is located at the front gate of Deering Estate. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16701 SW 72nd Avenue, Miami FL 33157, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regarding Deering Estate. (Excerpt from the Deering Estate at Cutler
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, May 3, 2014
2. Marker at the Front Gate to the Deering Estate
brochure) Near the end of the U.S. Civil War, John and Mary Addison established the first permanent pioneer homestead at the old Seminole "Hunting Grounds." By the turn of the century, the Addisons were joined by several pioneer families, and the town of Cutler was born. Dr. Samuel Richmond, a surveyor for the Florida East Coast Railway, built his home at Cutler in 1896 and later opened the "Richmond Cottage," the first hotel between Coconut Grove and Key West.
Charles Deering purchased the Richmond Cottage in 1915 to use as a winter residence. Between 1916 and 1918, he constructed additional structures on the property including a garage (the Carriage House), a machine shop (the Power House), an irrigation plant (the Pump House) and the keyhole-shaped boat turning basic. In 1922, he decided to reside at Cutler permanently and built the Stone House to accommodate his prized collection of fine art, books and furnishings.
After Charles Deering's death in 1927, his immediate heirs owned the Estate for more than half a century. The property was put up for sale after the last heir - Charles' daughter, Barbara Deering Danielson - passed away. In 1985, the Nature Conservancy brokered the deal that allowed the State of Florida and Miami-Dade County to purchase the property.
The Deering Estate at Cutler contains an abundance of natural resources unparalleled in
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, May 4, 2014
3. The Stone House at the Deering Estate
Miami-Dade County and includes one of the largest tracts of globally imperiled pine rocklands left in the continental United States. Tropical hardwood hammock, mangrove forest, salt marsh, seagrass beds and a natural island (Chicken Key) make up more than 150 additional acres of habitat for native plants and wildlife. Rare ferns, orchids, bromeliads, and over 40 species of trees thrive in the natural areas, while grey foxes, squirrels, snakes, butterflies, birds, and even endangered West Indian Manatees and American Crocodiles can be counted among the Estate's year-round or seasonal inhabitants.
The Estate also encompasses significant archeological sites. The Cutler Fossil Site has yielded the bones of mammoth, dire wolf and saber-toothed cat. Radiocarbon dating of campfire ash suggests that human remains discovered there date to Paleo-Indian times, nearly 10,000 years ago. In the natural areas, a stately Live Oak tree shades the Cutler Burial Mound - a rare reminder of the pre-Seminole tribes that lived in Florida from 2000 years ago until the mid-1700s.
4. The Stone House at the Deering Estate, side view
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, May 4, 2014
5. The Richmond Cottage at the Deering Estate
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, May 4, 2014
6. The Turning Basin at Deering Estate
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, May 4, 2014
7. Key Biscayne from Deering Estate
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 4, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,369 times since then and 48 times this year. Last updated on December 2, 2021. Photos:1. submitted on May 4, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. 2. submitted on May 5, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on May 4, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
