Caught in the Eye: Remembering the 1926 Hurricane

Every city has a moment that defines what came before and after. For Miami, that moment came on September 18, 1926, when a hurricane tore through the young, fast-growing city and brought its first great boom to a sudden halt. A century later, we’re telling that story the way it should be told: through the people who lived it.

Drawn from our archive, Caught in the Eye features selections from photo albums, newspapers, film, and letters.  Illustrations explore the earliest recorded Atlantic and Caribbean hurricanes, placing Miami’s story within a much longer history of enduring devastating storms. First- and second-hand stories recount the deceptive calm before landfall, the fury of the winds, and the false hope of the eye’s calm that caught so many off guard. As Dr. Helen Conger Dayton recalled of her sixteen-year-old aunt: “The roof was blowing off as we sought shelter next door. Later we heard that my aunt, Grace Thomas, who was only 16, had tied herself to a telephone pole to keep from being blown away.”

The exhibition also traces the storm’s lasting mark on Miami’s society, economy, and politics and the lessons that shaped how Greater Miami prepares today, from 1950 to Donna and Andrew.

A single storm tested a young city. Its people rebuilt it with the curiosity, pride, and resilience that still define South Florida.