In the early 1900's, the town of Silver Palm developed near the intersection of Silver Palm Drive and Newton Road. It went from a small number of homesteading farmers to span the area from Perrine (near present day US1) to Florida City. The name came from the silver palm trees that grew in the area. Early settlers included Charles Gossman and William Anderson, who built the first general store in town. From 1910 to 1920 Dade County's population quadrupled in size. As more and more homesteaders found their way south, the lowlands were drained, allowing the citrus industry to begin and thrive in the tropical climate. A schoolhouse was built just across the road from Anderson's General Store, making the area known as "Anderson's Corner". The citrus canker epidemic in 1913 devastated the area economy. Farmers watched helplessly as government inspection teams burned their orange groves. The 1926 Hurricane dealt another blow to the area, followed soonafter by the Great Depression. William Anderson closed his store in 1930, and today Anderson's Store, the Silver Palm School, and a few scattered old houses are all that remain. Today, only two original structures survive: the Silver Palm School and the community general store. Submitted by: Jim Pike

CORRECTION: On your site, you say that Silver Palm encompassed the area from Perrine to Florida City.  That is just plain wrong.  Silver Palm was never an incorporated entity and to the best of my knowledge did not cover any more than the area around William Anderson’s store at S.W. 157 Avenue and 232 St.  It may have gone as far south as 248th St. and north to 216 St.  It’s maximum size was probably no more than 4 miles by 4 miles, centered on the General Store.

The communities of Princeton, Black Point and Goulds to the east, Cutler to the northeast, Naranja and Modello to the southeast, Redland to the southwest, and Homestead to the south existed at the same time.  Those names (except for Black Point - which is now a different location than historically) still exist, but Silver Palm doesn’t, except in place names. Florida City, originally known as Detroit, is below Homestead and still exists.  Longview,west of Detroit, no longer exists, either, though the old schoolhouse is still there, across the street from the well-known fruit stand Robert is Here.

Thanks,

Jeff Blakely

Anderson's general store, Silver Palm
Courtesy Jim Pike

Silver Palm Schoolhouse, now a private residence
Courtesy Jim Pike

Silver Palm Historic Marker
Courtesy Jim Pike

Burning orange groves during citrus canker epidemic, 1913. 
Photo courtesy of South Florida Historic Society

A Bald Eagle sits in a dead pine tree, Silver Palm 1916. 
Photo courtesy of Florida Archives

Anderson's General Store at Silver Palm, 1911 or 1912, courtesy of the Historical Museum of South Florida