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The Miami Stories initiative collects stories about Miami’s past, present, and future. Through this oral history project, HistoryMiami Museum documents life in the Magic City through written stories, video submissions, and audio recordings, which are preserved in the museum’s archive, and shared online and through local media outlets.
HistoryMiami Museum accepts written stories and video submissions on a rolling basis. We welcome written stories between 500-1,000 words and video stories under 5 minutes about life in Miami. We encourage storytellers to submit a photo with their written story. To submit a written story, complete the Miami Stories Submission Form. To submit a video story, click on the video story link.
How did you or your family get to Miami?
When do you feel like a Miamian?
What would you miss if you left Miami?
What makes Miami, Miami?
What do you see for Miami’s future?
In collaboration with the Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami Libraries and as a part of the program El efecto Mariel: Before, During, and After, HistoryMiami Museum is collecting stories related to the Mariel boatlift of 1980. Members of the community are encouraged to share their personal memories, stories, and reflections related to Mariel. Stories will be collected virtually on a rolling basis and a series of prompts give participants ideas from where they can begin their story. Submitted stories will become part of the permanent collections of the HistoryMiami Museum and Cuban Heritage Collection and featured on both online platforms.
The Miami Stories Recording Booth allows the museum to capture audio stories at local events.
For more information about booking the Miami Stories Recording Booth, see the Recording Booth Information Sheet or contact us at miamistories@historymiami.org.
As part of the 2020 10 Days of Connection, HistoryMiami Museum invited South Florida residents to share a story about an item that reflects an aspect of their cultural identity and build a community exhibit. We continue to collect these stories and invite you to share yours. Either by yourself or accompanied by your loved ones, submit a video explaining how this object represents your cultural identity. Feel free to submit your story in the language of your choice.
Click here to access the Miami Stories Audio Archive
Being a third-generation Miamian, I have lots of stories. This one will begin with my father, Del Matchett, who was born in Miami in 1923 in the original Jackson Memorial Hospital that later became the Alamo Building at UM/JMH Medical Center. He grew up in North Miami on… Read More
With Mom, Dad, and sister, Ange, we left Pennsylvania in October 1936 before the cold weather set in. We rode the “Orange Blossom Special,” arriving at the F.E.C. (Florida East Coast) railway station just a couple of blocks from the tallest building in Dade County, the courthouse. The… Read More
Wanderer Buddy Hayes painted his way from Depression-torn Atlanta eastward to Charleston, S.C. He settled in North Charleston, where he frequented a popular local restaurant. In a cold Connecticut convent, Marie and Helen, two nuns from immigrant families, had grown up together, singing popular songs like Begin the Beguine,… Read More
I first met Mary Merlo Lugo at a party at a friend’s house in South Miami. Circulating, as one is prone to do at any party, I found myself seated next to this wonderful woman who, at age 93, regaled me for the next four hours with the most entertaining… Read More
My Miami story began before I was born. My paternal grandfather, Thomas Tilden, arrived in the 1880s in Syracuse, Mo., and built a magnificent barn. It was “the largest in Missouri, the third-largest in the United States, and the sixth-largest in the world,” crowed the newspapers at the time. Read More