The Wagner Homestead was built c. 1855 by William Wagner, who came to Miami with his Creole wife Everline. Wagner, a U.S. Army veteran, had joined the army in 1846, fought in the Mexican War under General Winfield Scott until he was wounded in the Battle of Cerro Gordo, and sent to Charleston S.C. to recuperate. When Wagner's former military unit was sent to reopen Fort Dallas in 1855, he came to the Miami area and decided to move to South Florida. Wagner died in 1901 on his homestead. He was one of the area's first permanent residents and was actively involved in local political and community affairs.