For a century, the Hanson Farmhouse has withstood every hurricane that came its way. Over its many years, it has never been flooded. Its story starts with one hurricane. Through many more hurricanes, the farm around it changed while the house stood firm.
Built because of a hurricane
The Miami Hurricane of September 1926 destroyed all the buildings in the western part of the county. On this farm, only the water tower and the house's foundations survived.
The house that replaced it, built c. 1928, was designed to stand up to the next one. It sits on concrete piers about 3 feet high, to keep it above floodwater and steady in strong winds. Its frame is made of 8-by-8-inch Dade County pine beams, anchored to the piers with steel reinforcing bars.
1947: A welcome to Florida
John and Arline Hanson moved into the farmhouse in the spring of 1947. A few months later, on September 17, the Fort Lauderdale Hurricane (aka George, with top winds of 155 mph recorded at Hillsboro Inlet) passed directly over the property. New to Florida, the Hansons didn't know what to expect. Arline later described the eye passing over the house, the eerie calm, and then the winds starting up again from the opposite direction.
Three weeks later, on October 11, Hurricane King dumped 15 more inches of rain on land still flooded from the previous hurricane. After the September hurricane, John had lined up oil drums topped with 12-inch boards to make a walkway to the house. The water had never fully receded, so the walkway was still in use when the October 11 rainstorm arrived. The farmhouse came through unscathed, but the orange grove behind it was destroyed.
Other memorable storms the farmhouse has weathered
- Cleo, August 1964: toppled most of the melaleuca trees that had grown up after 1947 and destroyed the garage. A tornado about a quarter-mile wide was reported in Davie.
- Andrew, 1992: hit the tree nursery hard.
- Irene, October 1999: 10 to 20 inches of rain across southeast Florida.
- Katrina, August 2005: came ashore near the Miami-Dade/Broward line as a hurricane.
- Wilma, October 2005: hit the tree nursery hard.
- Irma, September 2017: hit the tree nursery hard.
Why it survived
Bill Hanson thinks several factors worked together to protect the farmhouse from major storms. The house stands on raised piers, and its frame is Dade County pine, one of the strongest and most rot-resistant woods. Also, the house was surrounded by a canopy of tall trees, which he believes helped shield it. Beyond that, he credits good luck and Providence.