HISTORY
Key West has a fascinating and wide ranging history. Whether you're looking for tales of shipwrecks, U.S. presidents, famous writers, Cuban settlers, or Civil War-era forts, the island has a little bit of it all.
Henry Flagler & The OVERSEAS RAILROAD
Henry Flagler was a principal in Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler and later a founder of Standard Oil during the Gilded Age in the United States. The wealthy Flagler took an interest in Florida while seeking a warmer climate for his ailing first wife, and became the builder and developer of resort hotels and railroads along the east coast of Florida. Moving progressively south, Flagler built the Florida East Coast Railway and helped develop many cities including Daytona Beach, Palm Beach, and Miami.
After the United States announced in 1905 the construction of the Panama Canal, Flagler became particularly interested in linking Key West to the mainland for the trade possibilities with the West Coast, in addition to Cuba and Latin America. Initially called "Flagler's Folly," the construction of the Overseas Railroad required many engineering innovations as well as vast amounts of labor and monetary resources. During construction, four thousand men were employed, three hurricanes threatened to halt the project, and the cost was more than $50 million.
Despite the hardships, the final link of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West was completed in 1912, and a proud Henry Flagler rode the first train into Key West aboard his private railcar. It became widely known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Flagler died in 1913, and the Overseas Railroad itself did not endure. The Labor Day hurricane of 1935 washed away 40 miles of track, and the bankrupt Florida East Coast Railway was unable to rebuild it. The roadbed and bridges were sold to the state of Florida, which used them to construct the Overseas Highway for automobile traffic. In 1997 a task force was created to preserve the bridges and open them for pedestrian and recreational use. In August of 2004, the remaining 20 historic Railroad Bridges and the Overseas Highway were listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
conch republic
After the American Revolution, residents still loyal to the crown fled to the nearest British colony – the Bahamas. Once the British Parliament began taxing the Bahamians for their food like they taxed Bostonians on their tea, it’s rumored that they proclaimed they'd rather eat conch than pay taxes. As they immigrated to Florida, the nickname of “Conchs” stuck. If you are born in Key West you are a Conch, and if you are born elsewhere but live on the island for seven years you become a fresh water Conch.
Fast forward to April of 1982 when the US Border Patrol set up a blockade and inspection on U.S. 1 looking for illegal immigrants and narcotics. This proved to be a major inconvenience to tourists and residents alike trying to access the island. Key West’s elected officials protested to the federal government and sought judicial injunctions against the blockade, but to no avail. So, on April 23, 1982, Key West Mayor Dennis Wardlow decided that since the federal government was treating the islands as a foreign nation, why not make it official? Wardlow declared Key West was independent and would be known by the name the Conch Republic. The revolution lasted 1 minute before he “surrendered” to a Navy officer and applied for $1 billion in foreign aid.
April 23 remains “Independence Day” for Conchs. The Conch Republic continues to flourish with residents proudly flying Conch Republic flags, carrying Conch Republic passports, and hosting a yearly, week long birthday party with events including a Conch Shell Blowing Contest, Blue Ribbon Bed Race, and a reenactment of “the great sea battle of the Conch Republic.”
MEL FISHER & the atocha shipwreck
“TODAY’S THE DAY!” That was the phrase Mel Fisher told his divers every day, for 16 years, while he led them on a search through the waters off Key West for the elusive sunken Spanish galleon, Nuestra Senora de Atocha. Atocha was the almiranta (rear guard ship) of the 1622 Treasure Fleet, which left Havana several weeks late, causing them to run into the jaws of a hurricane on September 6, 1622. Eight ships of the 28-ship fleet were lost, wrecked on the reefs between the Dry Tortugas and present day Key West. The wreck itself was scattered after another hurricane hit the site exactly one month later, so the Spanish were never able to salvage what was one of the richest galleons ever to sail. Six years into the search he lost his eldest son, Dirk, Dirk’s wife, Angel, and crew member Rick Gage when their salvage vessel capsized. Then, on July 20th, 1985, ten years to the day of the Northwind tragedy, Mel Fisher’s words rang true. He and his crew discovered the “mother load” of Atocha’s vast treasure, by some estimates, worth over $400 million.
Ernest Hemingway & other writers
Ernest Hemingway fell in love with Key West when he arrived in the early 1930’s. Even though he only spent 10 years of his life in the Conch Republic, the years he lived in Key West were productive and happy ones. This was the era of Pauline, his second wife. This is also where he developed long lasting friendships with other notable Key Westers such as Sloppy Joe Russell. During his tenure in Key West he developed not only a passionate taste for sportfishing, his fondness for alcohol grew. After writing in his studio above the carriage house, he'd stroll every afternoon to the original location of Sloppy Joes bar. Here he'd spend countless hours ensconced on his stool, drinking and chatting with friends.
Key West was also pivotal in providing him with character fodder for stories. Many of the characters in his books were based upon local town folk. During his first stay on the island, Hemingway worked on "A Farewell to Arms" and became captivated by Key West’s easygoing ambiance. His time in Key West was the most prolific period of his career and inspired him to use Depression-era Key West as the locale for "To Have and Have Not.” He wrote many of his best-known works in the second-story writing studio that adjoins the house. Among them were "Death in the Afternoon," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and "The Green Hills of Africa."
A tour of the Hemingway House reveals original items and artifacts that belonged to the Nobel Prize winning author. Guests can even meet the descendants of his beloved six-toed cat and see the penny he stuck into the cement after Pauline had the pool built in their backyard for a cost of $20,000. Other famous authors who have called Key West home include Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, Shel Silverstein, and Tennessee Williams, who wrote the final draft of A Streetcar Named Desire at the La Concha Hotel.
THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE
The Little White House was originally built in 1890 as naval command headquarters. The first President to visit the site was William Howard Taft in December 1912. He arrived by Flagler's Overseas Railroad and stayed in Key West before sailing to Panama to inspect the canal then under construction. During World War I, Thomas Edison resided in the house while donating his service to the war effort. He perfected 41 underwater weapons during his six-month stay. The house remained a command headquarters through World War II.
Beginning in 1946, President Harry Truman used this house as his winter vacation home, and because he spent 175 days of his presidency here, it became known as the Little White House. The name is fitting: Since Truman's days, many other presidents have also vacationed here, including John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. Today, the Little White House has been restored and turned into a museum. Exhibits document Key West's role in naval conflicts, as well as the house's history – including the development of the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the creation of the Department of Defense.
Shipwreck History
Since the area’s early days of commerce in the 1500s, the coral reef that surrounds the island was responsible for scores of shipwrecks. Spanish galleons traveling to the port in Havana would be pulled toward the reef by winds, and ships would suffer minor damage from the sharp reefs or sink altogether. The Spanish would then hire natives from the Keys, known to be strong divers and swimmers, to retrieve ship cargo. Shipwreck salvaging like this was a free-for-all for centuries, with both Native Americans and Bahamians from the nearby Caribbeans taking part in the action.
The shipwrecking industry became official when the Keys became part of the United States in the 1820s. Now under US rule, Bahamians that salvaged sunken cargo could no longer take it back to the Caribbean. Instead, they had to go through the process of auctioning it off at the Port of Key West, and many opted to relocate to Key West. These salvaging professionals became known as “wreckers.”
The wrecking process went like this: When a ship was damaged from the reef, wreckers would race out from the island to lay claim on the sinking vessel. The first to arrive became the wreck master, in charge of divvying up the work (after saving the sinking crew, of course). After bringing the recovered cargo ashore, a judge would hear from both the ship captain and the wreck master to determine how to divide the bounty. Following an island-wide auction – an event that drew folks from around the country – the captains would split the money according to the judge’s orders.
Key West became the richest city per capita in the 1850s largely due to shipwrecks. The high volume of commercial ships crashing into the coral reef brought a wide array of goods - cotton, tobacco, silver utensils, clothing, locomotives, pianos and other goods would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, filling Key West homes with an odd medley of objects. Wrecking ended after the popularization of large-scale steamships in the 1900s. Systemized routes and the power of steam prevented winds from dragging ships into the path of the reef, much to the chagrin of locals.
Cuban Culture & Heritage
Key West is located just 90 miles from Cuba, and the two islands have a cultural connection that dates back over 175 years. In the early 1830s, Cuban people began migrating to Key West in search of freedom from Spanish colonial rule, and among them were scores of skilled cigar-makers who quickly founded factories. The Ten Years' War that began in 1868 brought another wave of people to work in the flourishing cigar industry. By the mid- to late-1800s, Key West was known as the cigar manufacturing capital of the world. At the industry’s peak in the late 1800s, the island city was home to nearly 150 cigar factories — whose workers produced an astonishing 100 million hand-rolled cigars annually.
But the cigar industry was not the only connection between Key West and Cuba. Many who lived on the island were fervent supporters of Cuba’s long fight for independence from Spain. Cuban revolutionary leader José Marti rallied significant support for the cause in Key West, launching his drive for Cuba’s independence in a historic 1892 speech from the balcony of the San Carlos Institute on Duval Street. The San Carlos, founded in 1871 to preserve Cuban culture and promote the freedom of Cuba, currently operates as a museum, gallery, theater and popular venue for special events.
Many galleries and exhibits celebrate the work of Cuban artists — including “Visions of Cuba” on display at the historic Gato Cigar Factory, which features contemporary creations by more than 50 prominent Cuban artists. At the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, an exhibit titled “With Little More Than the Shirts on Their Backs” displays personal items that Cuban balseros, or rafters, brought to the Florida Keys on chugs — handmade boats — on their treacherous ocean journeys. As well as art and culture, the Cuban community brought some of its most interesting and unique foods. The savory smells of ropa vieja, picadillo and other specialties drift from the city’s many Cuban restaurants, while other eateries offer Cuban bread and café con leche or the traditional Cuban Mix sandwich.
ROOSTERS
The chickens found in Key West are descendants of the jungle fowl that was originally found throughout the Caribbean, including Cuba. Early settlers in Key West had a normal relationship with their chickens, keeping them in coups and using them for food. As Key West became connected to the mainland there became less and less of a need to raise your own food, and many chickens were either released or escaped.
In the 1860s during the 10 Year War in Cuba, many Cubans migrated to Key West bringing with them the sport of cockfighting. The sport thrived in Key West until it was outlawed in the late 1970s, leaving cockfighters with roosters they no longer needed. Many of them let their roosters go, leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets.
Abandoned hen meet abandoned rooster! Nearly 40 years later, Key West’s gypsy chickens are an integral part of Key West. Due to recent spikes in the chicken population, Key West’s city commission recently voted to ban the feeding of these feral fowls. Regardless, locals love and protect their chicken pals. The rooster, which symbolizes good luck, wealth, good fortune, new day, and hope, has become an unofficial mascot for Key West.