WRECKER KING OF INDIAN KEY: A LOOK AT JOHN JACOB HOUSMAN
John Jacob Housman was born in 1799 on Staten Island, New York. The son of an oysterman, he was one of nine children. As a young man,...
SPOILER: FIRING A CANNON AT A WATERSPOUT DOESN’T STOP IT
Darien, Georgia, is the second oldest planned city in Georgia. Located on the Atlantic coast, Darien is situated at the mouth of the Altamaha River. It is...
HOW A KEY VACA CONSTRUCTION PROJECT LED TO THE TROPICAL HOTEL
The American period begins with the Adams-Onis Treaty that transferred the Florida Territory from Spanish ownership in 1821. Indian Key is a small 11-acre island in the...
KEYS HISTORY: SURVIVORS OF ATTACK AT INDIAN KEY DETAIL HORRIFYING CARNAGE
Indian Key was once the most important island in the Florida Keys not named Key West. The 11-acre island is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and located...
INDIAN KEY HISTORY STARTS AT SMALL OUTPOST OF PORT MONROE
Indian Key was once the most important island in the Florida Keys not named Key West. The 11-acre island is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and located...
KEYS PIRATES: THE LEGENDARY STORY OF BLACK CAESAR CONTINUED
Nearly 100 years after the African chieftain who became the original Black Caesar was hanged for piracy, allegedly, he returned. Well, he returned in name. This second...
KEYS PIRATES: BLACK CAESAR, BLACKBEARD, AND THE CREATION OF A LEGEND
Black Caesar is a famous Florida Keys pirate, right? When this version of his story is told — consider it Black Caesar 1.0 — he is presented...
DIVING INTO POP CULTURE: HISTORY OF DIVING MUSEUM DEBUTS FEATURE EXHIBIT
By John Christopher Fine
History of Diving Museum’s extraordinary collection of antique diving helmets, equipment and ocean discovery exhibits make for an educational and entertaining visit. Added to...
HISTORICAL DIG: RESEARCH ARCHAEOLOGISTS DIG INTO 1800S LIFE IN KEY WEST
Digging a 2-foot hole in one’s backyard usually wouldn’t warrant a team of student archaeologists from the University of Miami. But then, most backyards don’t date back...
KEYS HISTORY: WAS LEMUEL OTIS MONROE COUNTY’S FIRST SHERIFF?
Lemuel Otis, Monroe County’s First Sheriff?
For every prominent early Key West resident immortalized on buildings and street signs, scores of lesser-known residents go virtually unrecognized. One of...
