Key West

Lynn M. Homan, Thomas Reilly

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2000
• ISBN:
  9781439610893
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Key West's free-spirited ambiance and magnificent coral reefs help to create a unique and historic legacy and much more than a vacation destination.

For centuries, explorers and adventurers, immigrants and entrepreneurs, artists and wanderers have come to the island oasis known as Key West. And today, this Florida city is like no other and home to them all. Through hurricanes, fires, labor strikes, and the tourism boom, the community of Key West has sustained a unique way of life and attracted a wide variety of people to its shores, including such famous figures as writers Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, President Harry Truman, and musician Jimmy Buffett. Whether strolling through the downtown historic district, searching eclectic shops for one-of-a-kind treasures, enjoying a piece of key lime pie, or participating in the look-alike contest during Hemingway Days, Key West offers endless opportunities for pleasure. The landmarks, the people, and the continuing story of Key West are the entertaining subject of this new photographic tribute.

Three

A MILITARY PRESENCE

Rising like an apparition from the sea, Fort Zachary Taylor was built on an almost 13-acre island located near Whitehead Spit on the southwest shore of Key West. Originally set in 10 feet of water approximately 440 yards offshore, the fort was connected to the mainland by a 720-foot-long wooden causeway, complete with a drawbridge. Construction of the fort, originally designed as part of Florida’s coastal defense system, began in November 1845, and was finally completed at the end of the Civil War. Progress was frequently impeded by outbreaks of yellow fever that proved fatal to many of the workers. Less than a year after construction started, the hurricane of October 11, 1846, left a path of destruction. Four workers drowned in the storm, while much of their work was also eradicated. Built of brick and local coral rock and named after President Zachary Taylor, who died in 1850, the fort was finally completed in 1866. (Monroe County Public Library.)

In 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, Union troops led by Capt. James Brannan took over Fort Taylor, preventing its control by local Confederate sympathizers. As a result of his actions, Key West remained in Union control throughout the war. No longer an active military installation, today Fort Zachary Taylor is operated by the National Park Service as a historical site. (Key West Art and Historical Society.)

Maj. James Glassel of the U.S. Army and two companies of infantry arrived in Key West in February 1831. They set up camp on the northern side of the island near the present site of White Street and Palm Avenue. Glassel’s troops erected officers’ quarters, barracks, a guard house, and several smaller buildings. This encampment became known as the Key West Barracks, and as pictured here in 1891, had grown in both size and sophistication. (Key West Art and Historical Society.)

At the beginning of the Civil War, two onshore fortifications were begun to provide additional protection for Fort Taylor. Before work could be completed on either the East or West Martello towers, however, construction was suspended. Formerly considered impenetrable, advances in weaponry had made such masonry structures obsolete. (Authors’ Collection.)

The East and West Martello towers have both been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the Key West Art and Historical Society operates the East Martello tower as the East Martello Museum. Historical exhibits, as well as works of art by Stanley Papio and Mario Sanchez, are displayed within the 8-foot-thick brick walls of the fortification. The West Martello tower is a tropical haven of exotic flora maintained by the Key West Garden Club. (Key West Art and Historical Society.)

Capt. Charles D. Sigsbee served as commander of the USS Maine. On the night of February 15, 1898, the ship exploded as it lay at anchor in Havana Harbor, sending 266 Americans to their deaths. Of the destruction of the Maine, Sigsbee recalled, “She had settled in the mud and her poop-deck, where we had stood at the last possible moment, was under water.” (Key West Art and Historical Society.)

A group of petty officers assigned to the USS Maine posed for posterity. Little did they know that an explosion of undetermined origin would soon sink their ship, causing great loss of life. Of the 24 men pictured here, 11 died in the disaster. Reviewing the carnage, Captain Sigsbee wrote, “On the white part of the ceiling was the impression of two human bodies—mere dust—so I was told afterward.” (Key West Art and Historical Society.)

Warships such as the USS Maine came to symbolize America’s growing military strength as the 19th century drew to a close. The Maine arrived in Key West on December 15, 1897. On January 24, 1898, Captain Sigsbee received orders to proceed to Havana Harbor to protect American citizens in Cuba. Twenty-two days later on February 15, the unthinkable happened—the USS Maine exploded. (Key West Art and Historical Society.)

Following the sinking of the USS Maine in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, a Naval Court of Inquiry was convened in the second-floor courtroom at the Custom House in Key West to investigate the destruction of the American warship. Captain Sigsbee ...