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| Shippey House restored |
220 SW 3rd Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Not a lot is known about Judge Shippey. Records indicate he was born in Illinois, that his father was a judge and that they declared themselves farmers on a census. Father, son and family moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1912. Fred Shippey succeeded the first county judge, JF Bunn, who held the post from 1915 until his death in 1920. Shippey probably did not hold a law degree (not unusual at the time and in some states, like Texas, not unheard of today).
By Jane Feehan
A piece of old Fort Lauderdale, the Shippey House, was moved from its original location at 215 SW 7th Ave. to "Old Fort Lauderdale," near the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society in 2011. There, it underwent restoration and was completed in 2016.
The house, more than 100 years old, is of interest to historical preservationists because it was constructed of tough - and now extinct - Dade County pine and was one of a very few two-story cottages built about 1914. It was also home to Fred B. Shippey (1877-1934), Broward County’s second judge.
It was thought Judge Shippey served well and honestly (1920-1933). He also assisted disabled children throughout the state and belonged to an organization that built a hospital for them. In looking through old newspaper archives, I did find something interesting about his legal career.
In 1927 the judge rendered a decision that a “new fangled wagering system” at Pompano race track (not today’s Pompano Park but a predecessor) was not gambling. The system operated on the premise that wagers were really donations to horse owners (don’t laugh). This infuriated Gov. John W. Martin who sided with the Florida Supreme Court in its decision to close the race track to end all semblance of gambling.
The governor sent a letter to Broward Sheriff Paul C. Bryan demanding that he shut down the track that afternoon and if he didn’t he would be replaced. So would Judge Shippey, if he did not cooperate. Miami attorney James M. Carson, long an active agent to close the track, remarked that it was the first time in history a case was appealed from the supreme court of Florida to a county judge. “I like Judge Fred Shippey,” said Carson. “ ‘Brutus is an honorable man.’ May it be remembered that Brutus had distinguished company.”
Gambling had a wide circle of protectors in Broward County until nearly 1950.
Judge Shippey presided over criminal and other cases and conducted many marriages. Among the marriages he performed was that of swimming athlete and film star (Tarzan), Johnny Weissmuller to Broadway actress Bobby Arnst in March, 1931. The couple met weeks before on Valentine's Day. They divorced in 1933.
CP Tours (Cycle Party) a sightseeing tour agency, occupies the house: https://fortlauderdale.cycleparty.com/about/
During the moving process in 2011
Tags: History of Fort Lauderdale, Gambling in Broward in the 1920s, Judge Shippey, Pompano race track in the 1920s, Fort Lauderdale history, old Fort Lauderdale architecture, old Fort Lauderdale homes, film researcher
Sources:
Miami News, March 12, 1927.
Sacramento Bee, March 5, 1931
Shippyhouse.org
Sun-Sentinel, May 31, 2012.