Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer D’hollander.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The Sample-McDougald House, listed on the National and Local Register of Historic Places, is a distinctive historic house museum known for its unique architecture, history and cultural background. It was built in 1916 by Pompano Beach pioneer and farmer, Albert Neal Sample, who served as a community leader until his death in 1941. The Colonial Georgian-revival home was sold to William and Sarah McDougald in 1943. Generations of McDougald’s were raised in the home until the 1990s. The McDougald Family preserved the architectural and structural integrity of the home, making only slight changes to the property over time. When increased urbanization changed the historical character of the original home site, the McDougald family sought to donate and preserve the home. The Sample-McDougald House Preservation Society, Inc. was formed and received the donation of the building in 1999. The 4,500 sq. ft. structure was then moved to its current location in Centennial Park in May of 2001. Hundreds of local residents and businesses contributed to the restoration and site development through financial and in-kind contributions. After more than a decade-long restoration funded by individuals, businesses and local governments, the home opened to the public in November of 2012. The city was with us every step of the way and has continued to support our efforts for the past 18 years. In 2008, the land on which the house sits was designated Centennial Park to mark the land a public, historic site.
Today, this historic house museum hosts approximately 7,500 visitors per year, offering opportunities to learn about the heritage of two of Pompano Beach’s prominent families through daily guided tours. Visitors learn about the unique south Florida architecture, early 20th century lifestyles and discover the regional connections to agricultural and coastal history. Guests may also visit, picnic and enjoy the 5-acre Centennial Park and our edible Heritage Garden.
Largescale community events hosted in the last 12 months include: 100 Years: A Centennial Celebration, A Haunted House, Holidays at the House, the Antique Car Show, Farm Heritage Days, Plants & People Day, the Florida Highwaymen Exhibition and the Pineapple Jamboree. We regularly collaborate with other local businesses and nonprofits to carry out these events and to deliver a variety of community engagement.
Staff members customize field trips for K-12th grade school groups. More than 500 children from greater Broward County participated in history activities and events over the past five years.
The City of Pompano Beach Preserve America designation solidifies the importance of our community’s heritage, and the Sample-McDougald House is proud to be part of the fabric that makes up that heritage.
As a fledgling cultural organization in the community, the Sample-McDougald House has just five operating years under its belt. In our first years of operations, our focus was on community events, venue rentals and daily historic tours. Today, we aim to increase our impact in the community and broaden our audience reach by offering a fully comprehensive, educational and diverse range of cultural, arts and heritage programs and events.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In 1999 several community volunteers — Margaret White, Rebecca Maddox, Marvin Buntrock and Margaret McDougald Shadoin – created the Sample-McDougald House Preservation Society, Inc., and sought community support for moving and restoring the historic landmark. Municipal, state and citizens’ contributions were solicited and were forthcoming.
Moving a 4,500 sq. ft. house is a comprehensive and complicated community process, which took a total of seven hours to complete and months of pre-planning. The house moving took place during the early morning hours in May of 2001. The house was moved in its entirety, not in pieces, taking up the full width of the north and south bound lanes of Dixie Highway. Power and telephone lines were disconnected, landscaping was removed and law enforcement escorted the house on horseback. Hundreds of people lined the streets to view this once-in-a-lifetime sight.
Following the move, the historic house sat empty and without any or little activity while funds were raised for the preservation of the building. All of the electrical, plumbing, flooring and windows had to be updated, reinstalled and preserved. Centralized climate control was installed and every square inch of wood was restored and refinished inside and out. The total restoration took more than a decade using only funds raised from the community, municipalities, businesses and grants.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sample-McDougald House – what should we know?
The Sample-McDougald House is a cultural provider for residents of Pompano Beach, greater Broward County and south Florida. Strengthening the local economy is a chief component of SMH’s future strategic plan. As the city’s most iconic historic home and cultural site our partnership with city heritage, planning and redevelopment projects is extensive. Recently, the city was designated as a Preserve America town and, as such, the Sample-McDougald House was and continues to be a vital historic preservation operation as part of this designation. The preservation of the Sample-McDougald House was a $2 million dollar project over the course of more than a decade – utilizing local supplies, services and craftsmen.
The Sample-McDougald House opened its doors to the public in 2012, and since that time has focused on operations to attract residents of and tourists to Florida. As part of the greater museum field in Florida, the SMH contributes to the nearly $120 million dollar heritage and cultural tourism market. We are partners with local, regional and state tourism marketers such as Visit Florida, the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB, and Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The Sample-McDougald House has a working partnership with the Broward County Public Schools and has hosted over 500 local students since 2012. In the fall of 2017, the Sample-McDougald House will launch brand new educational opportunities for K-12th grade students in Broward County, as a subset of our Regional Public Program. Specific emphasis will focus on public, private, home, and virtual schools in Pompano Beach. There are twenty Broward County Public Schools in Pompano Beach and all of them are Title 1 schools. The Title 1 school designation signifies that at least 50% of the students at these schools are on free or reduced lunch indicating these children come from low-income families.
Working with educational leaders in the community, we have identified an educational visit to or offsite outreach program from the Sample-McDougald House is an exemplary culminating experience to reinforce significant Florida heritage and culture students learn about in Social Studies classes. We aim to increase our impact in the community and broaden our audience reach with K – 12th grade-programming opportunities.
Our community programs and events take a multi-disciplinary approach to presenting programs within the following areas: culture & heritage, food & agriculture, and performing & visual arts. Curriculum may include Florida heritage, art and cultural topics such as The Progressive Era, architecture and art, local agriculture & relationship to food sources, early 20th century community development, South Florida agricultural history, building transportation and the economy, trains, boats and wagons, the 1920s land boom, the Great Depression, WWII, positive impact of South Florida’s immigrant populations, prohibition in the 1920s, and early Florida pioneers & their families.
To demonstrate the community’s connections with these regional history themes, the Sample-McDougald House will tell the stories of Albert Neal Sample and his family, the original home owner and Pompano Beach farmer, the McDougald Family and half a century of their American family experience through WWII, civil rights, and more. We will also utilize outdoor spaces for authentic experiences in our heritage garden, and include children as active participants in daily pioneer activities such as doing laundry, making soap and churning butter.
The Sample-McDougald House collects and preserves 2000 pieces of furniture, artifacts, documents, photographs, objects and the physical building as part of its overarching and collections mission. The SMH owns all objects in its collection, and uses them to interpret the historic house. Highlights of our permanent collections include the original dining room, living room and bedroom set of the Sample Family, music written by Mrs. Sarah McDougald, letters from John Sample, older brother to Albert Neal, and a series of 1st generation entertainment appliances such as the mid-century Westinghouse combination TV/Radio/Record player console and 1930s era Majestic radio.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The founders of the organization – Margaret White, Rebecca Maddox, Marvin Buntrock and Margaret McDougald Shadoin.
The board members – Rex Hardin and Dirk DeJong were and are the two board presidents who have seen this project through to operations. Dirk DeJong has been the president of the board since 2002.
The volunteers – Tuesday – Saturday we have volunteers to give guided tours and perform various tasks at the house to help our operations in the office, cleaning and at events. We have a volunteer crew of 25+ who work events and programs throughout the year.
Former & current staff – Dan Hobby was on board as the 1st executive director who performed much of the historic research to raise awareness in the community and write grants for funding, and worked from 1999 to 2016 as the executive director. Lee Waldo was and is still on board as the Museum Manager and oversees our weddings, rentals, daily operations and museum maintenance.
City of Pompano Beach – All along the road to preservation the city made contributions and provided resources to complete the full restoration of the property and grounds.
Broward County – Then commissioner Kristen Jacobs designated a major $250,000 gift for the restoration of the house.
All the in-kind contracted service providers – All local plumbers, electricians, construction companies, land surveyors, air conditioning services, woodworking, flooring, painting and more provided most of their services in-kind to complete the $2 million project.
Pricing:
- Admission $5/person
- Memberships – varying levels starting at $35/year
- Weddings/Rentals – varying levels starting at $500/event
Contact Info:
- Address: Physical Location: 450 NE 10th Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33060
Mailing Address: PO Box 1599, Pompano Beach, FL 33061 - Website: www.samplemcdougald.org
- Phone: 754-307-5446
- Email: [email protected]
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