Keys History: Henry Flagler’s island legacy
Henry Flagler and the Key West Extension of his Florida East Coast Railway altered the history of the Florida Keys. Before his train came...
Key West Back in the Day: The Island of Lost Laundry
Jimmy Buffett dreamed up the Island of Lost Laundry, and it was a perfect example of his extraordinary creativity.
He mentioned the mythical island in...
Keys History: Recalling the railways and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935
It is safe to say that Henry Flagler was tickled when his private railcar, the Flagler Special, rolled into the Key West station at...
Key West Back in the Day: The duck on a stick
One of the best birthday presents I ever bought anybody was a duck on a stick.
It wasn't a decision involving long forethought. After all,...
Keys History: Capone and the cronies’ ties to the Florida Keys
It was the late 1920s when an open-air roadster rambled away from Miami, through Homestead and over the Card Sound Bridge. Two men occupied...
KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY: EVERYONE (STILL) GOES TO FAUSTO’S
When Jimmy Buffett wrote, “I’m goin’ down to Fausto’s/get some chocolate milk” in his 1976 classic “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, and I...
ONE OF FLORIDA KEYS’ MOST FAMED ATTRACTIONS TURNS 50
Fifty years ago, as America celebrated its bicentennial, Robert Reckwerdt leased a Lower Matecumbe Key marina from Ruth and Buck Starck. The Starcks had...
ICONIC LA CONCHA HOTEL OPENED 100 YEARS AGO
La Concha Key West, Autograph Collection, the hotel that has stood over the intersection of Duval and Fleming streets for a century, will celebrate...
KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY — THE ‘OLD’ PALATE OF ORDINARY TIMES
There are foodies who can taste a dish and instantly discern its ingredients, or who have such sophisticated palates that they can distinguish between...
HISTORIC USCGC INGHAM — A SHIP WORTH SAVING
Secured along the seawall at Truman Waterfront, the ship commands attention, the searing white of its hull stretches out like a 100-meter dash (327...
