Key West is much, much older than 200, but Friday, March 25 marks the island’s 200th anniversary of becoming a U.S. settlement.
On March 25, 1822, under orders from the U.S. Navy, Lt. Matthew Perry planted the American flag in Key West’s sandy soil and claimed the island.
To celebrate its bicentennial, festivities include a Key West Heritage Festival at 4 p.m. Friday, March 25. The event will include a reenactment of Perry staking the claim as a U.S. territory.
Organizers will also dedicate a “200th Celebration Time Capsule,” that will be opened during Key West’s 250th celebration in 2072.
Four children, ages 9, 10, 11 and 12, will be named “Ambassadors for the City of Key West” and designated to reopen the time capsule in 50 years. With donations ranging from $100 to $1,500, donors can carve their names and seal letters addressed to the community into the granite capsule, according to the keywest200th.com website.
“Beginning Friday, March 25, stamp aficionados and collectors can get an addressed or unaddressed envelope, postcard or mail, with required First-Class Mail® postage, stamped with a commemorative U.S. Postal Service pictorial Key West postmark (known as a cancel stamp). The stamp can be obtained for 30 days after its unveiling.”
The Oldest House Museum and Garden will host a Key West Bicentennial Celebratory Gala from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at 322 Duval St. The event, with 200 tickets priced at $200 each, will include period costumes, local food and attendance by local and Bahamian officials.
On Saturday, March 26, “Heritage Day” celebrations at Truman Waterfront Park will include family-friendly festivities, local vendors, continuous stage performances with local music and historic talks, and eco-friendly drone fireworks that evening.
