Built in 1901 as a trading post and converted into a residence for the Stranahans in 1906, the house is the oldest surviving structure in Broward County.

In 1893, at the age of 27 Frank Stranahan was hired by his cousin to manage his camp and ferry at Tarpon Bend located on the New River.

Arriving via dugout canoes, large groups of Seminole families would camp at the post for days at a time.

Eventually, in 1894 Frank would acquire ten acres of land for his own commercial interests and would move the trading post farther west along the river.

She instead turned her attention to the Seminole children, offering informal lessons at the trading post that respected the Tribe's traditions.

Her approach quelled skeptical tribal elders' fears and formed the basis for her lifelong friendship with the Seminole people.

With this new name Frank would end up selling the trading company in 1912 to focus on real estate and banking while Ivy would become president of the Florida Equal Suffrage Association in 1916.

In 1924 due to her close relationship with the Seminoles, the federal government would seek out Ivy and ask for assistance in persuading the tribe to move to the reservation.

On May 22, 1929, deeply depressed and in ill health, Frank committed suicide drowning in the New River in front of his home.

Ivy carried on, making ends meet by renting out rooms of her home and eventually leasing the lower floor to a series of restaurants.

Among her many accomplishments she became a long-term member of the city's planning and zoning committee, successfully lobbied for the Homestead Exemption law, established the Friends of the Seminoles and founded Broward County chapters of the Red Cross and Campfire Girls.