5/5 Ariel W. 5 years ago on Google • 1130 reviews
I
came
over
for
one
of
the
free
tours
they
offer
on
Saturday
mornings.
This
is
one
of
four
sites
that
the
Deerfield
Beach
Historical
Society
operates
in
the
city.
The
historic
home
was
the
residence
of
James
D.
and
Alice
Butler.
They
married
in
1906
in
Texas
and
came
to
visit
a
relative
in
Florida
in
1910
and
ended
up
staying.
James
had
made
money
by
owning
a
small
grocery
store.
Later
when
he
moved
to
Deerfield
Beach
he
farmed
green
beans.
The
house
was
built
in
a
Mediterranean
Revival
style
according
to
plans
Alice
won
in
a
Ladies
Home
Journal
contest.
The
2
story
house
cost
$10,000
to
build.
The
only
change
Alice
made
to
the
plans
was
that
they
she
didn't
want
the
step
down
into
the
dining
room
that
was
common
in
houses
of
that
period
because
she
didn't
want
the
children
she
was
planning
for
to
trip
and
fall.
Sadly
due
to
a
medical
condition
Alice
was
never
able
to
bear
children.
Instead
she
and
James
looked
after
the
children
of
the
community
and
were
very
active
in
causes
for
them.
James
was
a
member
of
the
first
Broward
School
Board
in
1915.
There
is
still
a
scholarship
in
their
name
that
is
given
to
this
day
to
every
student
who
graduates
from
Deerfield
Beach
High
School.
Alice
formed
the
first
women's
club
and
James
served
as
a
Broward
County
Commissioner.
They
were
both
active
in
their
church.
The
furniture
in
the
house
is
almost
entirely
original
except
for
the
dining
room
table
that
was
broken
and
replaced
when
it
was
used
to
cover
up
a
window
during
the
1928
Hurricane.
In
1974
the
houses
was
designated
a
historic
site.
The
Butler's
left
the
house
to
the
Deerfield
beach
Historical
Society
in
1977.
They
operate
a
small
gift
shop
in
the
back
of
the
house.
Besides
the
house
the
property
also
has
a
Kester
Cottage
which
was
economical
housing
in
the
early
1920's.
It
looks
like
it
was
being
used
for
storage.
Another
nice
feature
of
the
property
is
the
100
year
old
banyan
tree.
My
tour
was
conducted
by
a
young
volunteer.
She
did
an
amazing
job
and
I
learned
a
lot
about
people
I
had
previously
heard
of
but
did
not
know
that
much
about.
If
you
are
interested
in
visiting
a
city
wide
garage
sale
is
being
held
at
the
Butler
house
on
January
31st.
More
dates
for
tours
can
be
found
on
the
historical
society's
website.
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