There was a time in the not too distant past when South Florida was a significantly different place than now. Canals were being dug from the coral bedrock for drainage and what towns there were between the Everglades to Miami were separated by expanses of wooded tracts and abandoned farmland overgrown with scrub forest. Concrete homes with terrazzo floors and flat or low-peaked roofs were the style of the day with an abundance of fruit trees; mangoes, oranges, grapefruit, key limes and avocados. And anyone who lived in South Florida during those two decades will remember the herds of land crabs that swarmed across roads, waving their pinchers at on-coming cars and the stench from the ones that didn’t make it. 

On television we had “The Dungeon” hosted by M.T. Graves with his side-kick, Reginald, who made his appearances when the host slid out the end of a coffin in the dungeon’s wall. There was even a vampire. And of course, M.T. Graves had a fan club which I joined and with my free membership, I received a member card that identified me as a “Grave Digger”, a certificate of being a fan and the best thing, a deed for a square foot of land on the seventh moon of Jupiter, complete with a packet of dirt from said land. Alas, I no longer have the dirt, the deed or even the “Grave Digger” card but it sure was swell being the owner of land on another planet, if only for a while.

Where did or do you live in South Florida? Whether it was during the ’50’s and 60’s, before that time or after, share with us your memories and after that, read “Saving Moses”, a novel based on actual events that I experienced as a twelve year old when my family lived in Perrine, Florida.

Steve T