an underwater photo of a boat wreck in the ocean

TIME HASN’T BEEN KIND TO THE CITY OF WASHINGTON STEAMSHIP AT ELBOW REEF

By Thomas Scott Editor’s note: This is the final in a two-part series on the City of Washington steamship. Several months following the disaster, after...

THE CITY OF WASHINGTON MAY JUST BE THE MOST HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT SHIPWRECK IN THE...

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series on the steamship City of Washington and its involvement in the Maine battleship incident....
a black and white photo of a man and a woman walking in front of a

KEYS HISTORY: WHY IS THERE A REEF CALLED LOOE KEY? 

I was done writing about the Great Florida Keys Road Trip when Mile Marker 0 came out in August. I need to save some...
a black and white photo of a large ship

WRECKED STEAMSHIP OFF THE UPPER KEYS POSSESSES SOME HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

By Thomas Scott Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series on the steamship City of Washington and its involvement in the Maine...
a black and white photo of a building that has been destroyed

KEYS HISTORY: WEATHERING STORM SEASON

Some people say Florida doesn’t have seasons. They are wrong. They might not be traditional seasons, but they come around as surely as spring...
a large boat docked at a dock in the water

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...
a man holding a fish on a fishing rod

KEYS HISTORY: THE LEGEND OF BOAT CAPTAIN BILL SMITH 

Bill Smith holds a special place in fishing history. He showed up in the Keys as a 19-year-old. In 1928, Smith was approved for a...
an old picture of a boat in the water

KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY: THE SEA MONSTER IN THE LIBRARY

In the early 1980s, sparked by a passionate love for my island home, I became obsessed with Key West history. But I never dreamed...
a black and white photo of an old town

KEYS HISTORY: RECALLING THE WEATHER REPORT AND A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF THE LABOR DAY...

Elvis Presley was born in 1935. Porky Pig made his Looney Tunes debut the same year. Additionally, Babe Ruth hit his 714th (and final)...
a couple of vans parked in front of a building

KEYS HISTORY: HOTEL TRANSFORMS INTO A HOSPITAL FOR TURTLE RECOVERY AND RELEASE IN MARATHON

Key Vaca is the heart of Marathon, and Marathon bills itself as the heart of the Florida Keys.  As the highway crosses the island, its...