The Finlay B. Matheson collection includes more than 2,411 photographs; 112 maps, surveys, and architectural plans; and 13 books related to William John Matheson and his immediate family. Estate documents and other documents containing historical and biographical information pertaining to the Matheson family and their various business ventures can also be found within this collection, as well as drawings, postcards, and some of the first aerial view photographs of Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, the Miami River, and the Florida Keys. Florida's landscape during the early 20th century is captured throughout the various albums and scrapbooks and attests to a more leisurely lifestyle before the advent of skyscrapers and multi-lane highways. Furthermore, the collection provides an in-depth glimpse into the burgeoning social life of early inhabitants who gathered at the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club.
Beginning in January 2022, the University of Miami Office of Civic and Community Engagement, affiliated faculty, and community partners embarked on a research study to examine the genesis, criteria, and relevance of the term “climate gentrification” as it relates to concerns about equitable development in Miami. The project complemented an academic literature review with a collection of oral histories to expand the understanding of climate gentrification based on lived experiences. Students in Dr. Robin Bachin’s Environmental History course at the University of Miami in Spring 2022 partnered with community organizations to engage interested residents in recording oral histories in the Overtown, Little Havana, Liberty City, and Allapattah neighborhoods in Miami.
This collection contains the oral history videos that were created as part of the project and can be accessed online.
