H.L. (Bud) and Lena Fisher Lyons
by Bud Garner
Sentry Columnist
The demolishing of
one of Pompano’s most historical homes was completed today,
Monday, May 26, 2002.
The home was the
residence of H.L. (Bud) and Lena Fisher Lyons located on the corner
of NE 1st Street and NE 3rd Ave., Pompano Beach.
I went by and rang
the doorbell for the very last time. I had rung this doorbell, (which
was built almost on the sidewalk) and run quickly away while passing
their house on my way to the “picture show” located just
East of their house so many times when growing up in Pompano.
Bud came to
Pompano in 1903 as a young lad from Madison, FL and later on married
Lena, who was from Ft. Lauderdale. They never had children.
Bud began farming,
raising cattle and purchasing land in the Western part of the County.
Their farming and
cattle empire stretched from North of what is now Margate, South for
several miles and West far into the Everglades.
The area farmed
covered many thousands of acres West of what is now Margate and their
vegetable packing sheds and houses, platforms and offices stretched
along North Flagler in downtown Pompano from NE 3rd St. to NE 6th St.
Bud grew
vegetables, loaded them on trucks, transported them to his packing
sheds where he had several large grading belts which, in that period
of time was considered the elite in packing houses.
The produce
arrived at this location in burlap (croaker sacks) bags, unloaded and
spread upon the slow moving belt where people picked out any trash,
rotted or damage produce and the “choice, and large ones,”
to be used as “tops” that went in the bean hamper or pepper
crate before it was “headed up.”
Once it was
finished, the containers were placed on a chain-drive conveyor belt
that ran the entire length of the platform (or shed) from NE 3rd St.
to NE 6th and parallel with the rail siding where refrigerated box
cars were placed and the produce diverted into these cars for
shipment to out of state markets.
The grading and
sorting of this operation usually began in the afternoon around 5 PM
or so and continued on into the night until all had been processed
and loaded.
This “growing,
packing, loading and hauling ” operation provided employment to
literally hundreds of people in the Pompano area in a period of time
when the economy of Pompano and the country was at one of the lowest
points in many years.
About an average
of 10 of these box cars were filled and shipped nightly.
Without the
Bud/Lena Lyons impact, this area would have been hard pressed to
ride-out the Depression and “Brother, can you spare a dime” era.
The produce was
loaded into the refrigerated boxcars that contained bunkers with
top-load hatches where one-hundred pound blocks of ice were entered.
And on the inside of the cars, were steel grate dividers that allowed
the cold air to circulate through the car to preserve the shipment
for the many days they were on the road to distant markets.
Bean hampers (1
1/2 bushels) were loaded in an up and down style all across the end
of the car. These were stacked two high, then the next row laid down
on the top of these, with the tops out and the next row with the
bottoms out and on until a “peak” was reached.
This method
allowed the hampers to be “interlocked” to insure there
would be no damages when they arrived and the cold air to circulate
around and through them.
Approximately 640
hampers of beans filled a car and about 800 boxes of Peppers. Bell
peppers were shipped in wooden crates that were filled and the lids
nailed shut. They were stacked in boxcars on top of each other with a
“strip or slat’ of wood on top. These slats provided air
circulation plus, they were nailed into the top of each crate,
insuring a safe, secure ride.
Once loaded, they
were "manifested", sealed, and were ready for shipment the
same night.
From growing in
the fields, to being picked, transported, processed and shipped the
same day to distant markets. This operation continued seven days a
week for the entire farming season, from October through April.
I have heard
comments from people from out of this area (the Johnny-come-latelys)
make comments that “this town was founded by ”dumb
farmers” that didn’t have enough sense to come in out of
the rain.
This only shows
how dumb these types are to make such a statement. When it rained,
that is when these “dumb farmers” had to leave their dry
abode, go into their fields to start their drainage pumps, pull the
lock boards so the water could get to the pumps, to skim-out the
field ditches keeping them open so the crops wouldn’t drown.
No, these farmers
were not too “dumb” to come in out of the rain, they were
smart enough to know a ruined crop was a disaster, not only to
themselves but for the many people dependant on these crops for a livelihood.
So when it rained
that meant extra “nasty work”, not an enjoyable outing.
Bud Lyons provided
jobs for people by going out into the rain and saving his crops,
therefore averting extreme hardships for the citizens of Pompano.
If not for the
farmers, such as Bud Lyons, the city of Pompano Beach we know today
would in all probability not be as well preserved for these
“types”, to enjoy the many opportunities the “dumb
farmers” made available for them.
With the tearing
down of the “Bud Lyons house” and other actions, we go now
into another realm that seems to be leading towards the slow and
surely dismantling of the city of Pompano Beach by those interested
in self as opposed to men like Bud Lyons, and other farmers, who
“picked-up their hammer and saw and built-up, not tore down.” |