Whether the residents planned just to spend winters in Wilton Manors or the rest of their lives, it was no matter to E.J. "Ned" Willingham, a Georgian with a grandiose plan for the piny scrublands just outside the growing city of Fort Lauderdale. Willingham was rare among land speculators during the "Florida Frenzy"--a scrupulously honest man. He named this development, his favorite, Wilton Manors. Willingham envisioned a graceful community of modest homes on large yards, with schools, a hotel, and small parks dotting the exclusive, whites-only enclave. Almost 80 years later, Willingham's little community lives on, but not in the fashion he might have expected. His all-white community has grown and matured into a pleasantly diverse and uncommonly tolerant place with lovely homes, outstanding city services, and an eye on preserving its genteel history.
