Modello, Florida (Dania Beach, Florida)

 community, ghost town

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From 1908 to 1926

The town of Modello dates back to the 1880’s when much of Henry Flagler's FEC railroad line was laid through the area. Modello is a contraction of Model Land Company, the business name of Flagler's land sales division. Pioneer and developer W. C. Valentine planned out the settlement and Danish families from Chicago moved there in 1898-1899. The town grew to have a general store, schools, and a post office in 1902, with A. C. Frost as Modello's first postmaster. When the Town was incorporated in November 1904, the residents, most of whom were Danes, changed the name to Dania. Early immigrants prospered in tomato farming and by 1910 the Florida East Coast Railway was shipping to northern U.S. cities from "The Tomato Capital of the World". A tomato paste factory was set up in town, contributing to the local economy. By 1912, Dania was a thriving community of almost 1200 people and continued to grow through the 1920’s when the City suffered tremendous setbacks. In 1925, the Dania Hotel caught fire, and the Bank of Dania failed due to embezzlers in the Bank’s home office. The 1926 hurricane with its 200 mile-per-hour winds devastated the Town, destroying most of the original buildings. The overwhelming damage prompted residents to vote for annexation to the neighboring City of Hollywood. Thus, Modello was no more. Later on the town reformed as Dania in it's present form.