KEYS HISTORY: KEY WEST & THE SEMINOLE WAR OVERSHADOWED MIDDLE KEYS
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...
QUEEN CONCH’S IMPRINT ON THE KEYS SPANS FROM THE MENU TO A FLAG
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...
TREASURING THE PAST: MEETING JERRY WILKINSON WAS ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS
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...
KEYS HISTORY: CELEBRATING EARLY SETTLERS, SOUTHERNMOST CITY & COCKTAIL SIPPING DURING 200TH ANNIVERSARY
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...
DRUNKENNESS DIMMED LIGHTSHIP FLORIDA’S ABILITY TO WARN SAILORS OF A DANGEROUS REEF
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: LIGHTSHIP CAESAR FACED HARDSHIPS ILLUMINATING FLORIDA’S REEF TRACT
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...
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: THE ENGLISH FAMILY LEFT ITS MARK IN KEY WEST
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...
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE HORRORS
By the end of the 17th century, the capture of men and women for colonial distribution in European markets was in full swing. The Atlantic slave trade...
KEYS HISTORY: 1825 LETTER REVEALS A PIRATE SKIRMISH AND PRISONERS IN KEY WEST
Like a joint passed around an island party, pirate stories in the Florida Keys are shared with a rapt audience. As a matter of fact, breaking out...
KEYS HISTORY: ‘EVERYONE’S TALKIN’ ABOUT SUMMERLAND KEY
Weird things happen in the Florida Keys. Some of these odd occurrences can occasionally appear to have a paranormal connection, which makes sense considering that Key West...
