South Florida

Remember when these Florida landmarks looked like this? Let’s step back in time

Stories by Miami Herald journalists, with AI summarization

Florida’s past comes alive when we revisit landmarks that have vanished or changed.

Miami Lakes was once farmland with grazing cows before it became a community centered around lakes, curved roads and cul-de-sacs.

In Key West, Duval Street’s old diners like Shorty’s have disappeared, making way for chain stores.

Yeehaw Junction’s landmark Desert Inn is now just an empty field, the building demolished after a truck crash.

Let's go through the Miami Herald archives to take a look.

A sign in Miami Lakes in 1981. By Andrew Innerarity

NO. 1: MIAMI LAKES USED TO LOOK LIKE THAT? SEE THE SHULA HOME, COWS AND EARLY SHOPPING CENTERS

Remember when? | Published September 20, 2024 | Read Full Story by Miami Herald Archives

The Desert Inn when it had a for-lease sign in front and looked abandoned. By Marjie Lambert

NO. 2: A FAMOUS PIT STOP FOR FLORIDA DRIVERS HAS DISAPPEARED. WHAT HAPPENED AT YEEHAW?

It was a landmark for decades. | Published April 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Miami Herald Archives

President Harry Truman drives his own car in Key West in 1946.

NO. 3: IS THAT THE PRESIDENT AT A DUVAL STREET DINER? SEE KEY WEST THROUGH THE YEARS

Let’s take a step back in time. | Published April 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Miami Herald Archives

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.