Historic Florida Keys


Book Description

An illustrated history of Key West, Florida, paired with histories of the local companies.




Key West and the Florida Keys


Book Description

This collection of postcards captures a trip along that magical ribbon of road from the Florida mainland to the "Southernmost City" of Key West and makes for an unforgettable journey.




The Florida Keys


Book Description

Well-researched, fascinating accounts of Florida Keys' life of the past two centuries.







Key West


Book Description




The Florida Keys


Book Description

The Florida Keys: A History & Guide is an engaging handbook to the unique coral and limestone islands that curve southwest off the tip of Florida. Acclaimed novelist and Florida resident Joy Williams traces U.S. Highway 1 from Key Largo to Key West, combining the best of local legend—colorful stories you won’t find in other guidebooks—with insightful commentary and the most up-to-date advice on where to stay, eat, and wander. Along the way, you will: • explore the exquisite underwater world of North America’s only living reef • discover the beautiful bridges that span the Keys, the forts, and the distinctive “conch” architecture of Key West • experience the eerie serenity of Florida Bay’s “backcountry” and the unique ecology of the Keys • visit the Key West cemetery and learn about the lives of some of the Keys’ eccentrics—writers, madmen, and entrepreneurs with various delusions • find the best (and avoid the worst) cafés, inns, and other establishments that the Keys have to offer Here is the most thorough and candid guide to the Keys, one of the most surprising locales in America. With insight and style, Joy Williams shares with us all of the region’s idiosyncrasies and delights.




It Happened in the Florida Keys


Book Description

Salvage of a sunken slave ship, devastating hurricanes and the odd doings of locals such as Jimmy Buffett and Hemingway's cats.




A History of the Pioneers


Book Description

Well researched, fascinating accounts of early Keys life.




The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat


Book Description

Secrets of an iconic artifact Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award for Meritorious Achievement in Preservation Communications Excavated from a waterlogged archaeological site on the shores of subtropical Florida by legendary anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing in 1896, the Key Marco Cat has become a modern icon of heritage, history, and local identity. This book takes readers into the deep past of the artifact and the Native American society in which it was created. Austin Bell explores nine periods in the life of the six-inch-high wooden carving, beginning with how it was sculpted with shell and shark-tooth tools and what it may have represented to the ancient Calusa—perhaps a human-panther god. Preserved in the muck for centuries on Marco Island and discovered in pristine condition due to its oxygen-free environment, the Cat has since traveled more than 12,000 miles and has been viewed by millions of people. It is one of the Smithsonian Institution’s most irreplaceable items. In this fascinating account, Bell traces the clues to the Cat’s mysterious origins that have emerged in its later lives. Captivating readers with the miracle and beauty of this rare example of pre-Columbian art, Bell marvels at how an object originally understood to hold cosmological power has indeed transformed the people and places around it. The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat is the story of a timeless masterpiece of staggering simplicity that has prevailed over impossibly long odds.




Long Key


Book Description

Henry Flagler's Long Key Fishing Camp was very different from the other resorts Flagler built along the east coast of Florida, but the serene grounds and unparalleled fishing grounds inspired fierce loyalty among its clientele. Thomas Knowles offers the first history of this beloved getaway.