The original setlement south of Cutler, Anderson's Corner is now closed and the building is slowly deteriorating into poor condition.

The years between 1910 and 1920 saw Dade County's population quadruple in size. The landscape was quickly evolving from deserted wetland swamps to rows of fields as rudimentary roads and auspicious homesteaders found their way south. Draining the lowlands provided ample opportunities for agricultural endeavors and it was not long before extensive development was underway.

Because transportation between disparate settlements throughout the county was difficult, general stores provided a level of convenience to residents in outlaying areas, including many farmers. Anderson's Corner is the last of these pioneer-era commercial properties still standing in Miami-Dade county.

Will Anderson came from Indiana in the early days of the twentieth century to join his friend and hunting companion Charles Gossman, the first settler in the area. Silver Palm was known for its extensive pinelands and plentiful game. Anderson soon established a homesteaded just east of his friend and just south of the Perrine land grant.

For some time, Anderson operated a commisary car for the Drake Lumber Company, providing staples and necessities for workers in remote lumber camps. In 1911, he established the William Anderson General Merchandise Store which sold a myriad of items to residents and businesses. With living quarters on the second floor, Anderson's Corner was strategically located across from the Silver Palm School at the intersection of two well-built roads -- much easier to reach than the town of Cutler, some 15 miles away.

After serving as a general store until the 1930s, it was converted into apartments. Finally condemned in 1975, a reprieve was granted for rehabilition. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1977, the site became a local historic site in october 1981. The rehabilitation was completed in 1985.

Historic photo above taken 1911-1912, ca. in the Jean Taylor collection of the archives of the Historical Museum of South Florida. http://www.historical-museum.org