BLACK HISTORY MONTH: THE ENGLISH FAMILY LEFT ITS MARK IN KEY WEST

0
The future Key West resident James D. English was born in 1816 and lived in St. Augustine, Florida. He grew up in the era of slavery as...

KEYS HISTORY: LIGHTSHIP CAESAR FACED HARDSHIPS ILLUMINATING FLORIDA’S REEF TRACT

0
Before the skeletal, iron-pile lighthouses began to mark the Florida Reef, there were lightships. These were two-masted schooners equipped with lanterns and anchored out near the reef...

DRUNKENNESS DIMMED LIGHTSHIP FLORIDA’S ABILITY TO WARN SAILORS OF A DANGEROUS REEF

0
The Caesar was the first lightship to anchor at Turtle Harbor, where it worked to warn passing sailors of their proximity to the dangerous Carysfort Reef. The...

KEYS HISTORY: CELEBRATING EARLY SETTLERS, SOUTHERNMOST CITY & COCKTAIL SIPPING DURING 200TH ANNIVERSARY 

0
The year 2023 marks Monroe County’s 200th anniversary, and the celebrations are underway.  Unsurprisingly, the Southernmost City has absorbed much of the attention. It stands to reason, as...

TREASURING THE PAST: MEETING JERRY WILKINSON WAS ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS

0
History can be complicated, and historians can be complicated, too. However, the more you invest in history and historians, the more you understand how the past shapes...

QUEEN CONCH’S IMPRINT ON THE KEYS SPANS FROM THE MENU TO A FLAG

0
In the old days, fishing skiffs slowly paddled across the clear Atlantic waters with two fishermen on board. One man slowly paddled while the other dipped a...

KEYS HISTORY: KEY WEST & THE SEMINOLE WAR OVERSHADOWED MIDDLE KEYS

0
When stories are told about the Florida Keys, Key West gets most of the attention. Given the tremendous history spawned by that little island, it is no...

KEYS HISTORY: 1850S MIDDLE KEYS WITNESSED DESIRABLE LANDS & A SERIES OF SALES

0
Last week I wrote about the Middle Keys, or how Key West and the Upper Keys often overshadow the Middle Keys. There is absolutely amazing history in...

KEYS HISTORY: MOSQUITOES AND ‘DIABOLITO’ POSED THREATS TO U.S. NAVY’S ANTI-PIRACY UNIT

0
What was the most dangerous thing facing the fighting men of the anti-piracy unit called the West Indies Squadron? It was not the pirates, but a wee...

KEYS HISTORY: ‘COCOLOBO KEY’ HAD A RICH PAST OF PINEAPPLES & A PRIVATE CLUB

0
Coccoloba diversifolia is a native tree that produces a small reddish-purple fruit that my dog, Beau, likes to eat on our morning walks. Birds and other small...

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get Keys Weekly delivered right to your inbox along with a daily dose of Keys News.

Success! Please check your email for confirmation.