Key West - Part 1

Seven days in Key West went by in a flash - there is alot to do every day.  First and foremost - Key West is a hot spot of activity.  We arrived on a Saturday and the place was jumping - the marina pool and bar were overflowing with young and old having a good time.  The town was full of St. Patty's Day revelers who were decked out in green shirts and hats roaming the street from bar to bar on various "crawls".  We chaulked it all up to the mood of the day and expected that Sunday would return to a more "normal" state.  We were wrong - it just kept rolling - day after day of crowds and people out to have a good time. 

Being somewhat more subdued, we went on the museum tours - a suprising number of them.  Starting with the "Little Whitehouse" where President Truman spent over 150 days on vacation during and after his tenure as president.  You could tell that Key West is proud of its association with the 6th most beloved US President.  Interestingly, when Truman left office, he enjoyed the lowest approval rating of any president before or since - 22%.  His assertion was that he was elected to lead and he would - his judgement would be rendered some 25+ years later.  Prophetic words indeed.

The "Little Whitehouse" was an unoccupied Fleet Admiral's Home in Key West that was made available to Truman to help him recover from an illness after the WWII postwar discussions.  This was at a time when if you had the condition of "overwork" doctors would prescribe rest in a soft warm climate - now those were the days!  Truman enjoyed it so much he would spend all his vacation time in Key West where he would work with his trusted advisors.

Then off to the Ingham - the US Coast Guard's more decorated vessel.  It served convoy duty during WWII and over her 75 years of service she and her crews were decorated twice with Presidential Citations.  For my part it was an interesting study in the design of utility on the open ocean.  Everything was purposeful and designed with function in mind.  The only place where some stylistic design crept in was in the officer's and the Captain's quarters and mess which were lavish by comparision to the general crew and included their own custom china and silver place-ettings.  In all I would say that fully 85% of the interior volume of the ship was dedicated to mechanical and food preparation.


Ingham in Profile



Bridge Deck - Only One Chair for the CO



Officer's Mess



3 Small Racks for Crew - No I Don't Fit!



Then off to Fort Zacharey Taylor - an 19th Century fort built in 21 years and put in service in 1845 and named for President Taylor.  This post never saw action during the Spanish American War, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, or The Cuban Missile Crisis.  However, in each instance it was outfitted and maintained as an active post for the military to control the waters around the US and access to the Gulf of Mexico.  It's location in Key West sits right on the dividing line between the Atlantic and the Gulf.

Originaly Three Levels and 140 Cannons

Original Cannonade



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WWII Fortifications to left and Original Construction to Right



 The fort is still surrounded by an active US Naval base where they train Navy Seals and maintain an active port and security.  This same port is used by visiting navys (Canada Pictured Below) and by modern day Cruise Ships.  A reminder that our freedom comes at a price - vigilance.



Canadian Ship Docked at the US Naval Yard



Thar Be Treasure There!

Then on to the Key West Lighthouse Museum.  There are 7 major light houses - 6 along the reef line on the ocean side of Hawks Channel and the main lighthouse in Key West itself.  These lighthouses were all comissioned in the mid to late 1800's to reduce the number of ship wrecks along the coast.  The wrecks were the single largest source of income for Key West at the time as "Wreckers" would race to the site of a sinking to be declared "Wreck Master" to recieve the larger share of the spoils.  In fact, Key West was the first location for an official Wreckers Court where a judge would preside over a claim and adjudicate the maritime law around allocations and division of the spoils when a ship floundered on the reef.

Key West Lighthouse

With the addition of the lighthouses, the source of income gradually decreased and was brought to an end in the early 1900's.  That said, some of the early wrecks still provide opportunities for treasure hunters and there is an active industry in Key West for treasure seekers.  In fact, the last major find was the 3rd on the same vessel - the Isaac Allerton.  First wrecked in 1856 it was awarded the single largest settlement valued then at over $85,000 (more than a million in todays dollars).  It was rediscovered in 1985 when new technology made it possible to discover many other finds not possible in the 1800's - the wreck was thought to have been thoroughly explored.  In 2010 another treasure hunter found another $500 Million in uncut Emeralds - this case is now in front of the courts to decide on the allocations.  The Allerton is by far the most valuable of treasure ships ever found - each time!

The story of the Florida Key's lighthouses is entwined with the culture of the community and history.

Key West has more to offer than you might think - a lot more than just beaches and beer.

But it offers B&B in spades if you like that too!!!