I took a tour today which included a drive around the island
of Key West to hear more about its history.
Key West was one a large and important military base. The naval base was responsible for the protection
of the US Coast (from pirates in the 1800s and other enemies later in our
history).
The base was eventually shuttered, and most of the buildings
on Duvall Street (the main drag of the Old Town region) were boarded up. They were sold at little at very low cost
from an enterprising mayor who made folks fix them up; he knew that tourism
could transform the economy of his city.
The drive included reaching the southernmost point in the
United States. I also did tours of
Ernest Hemingway’s home (photos allowed, but you couldn’t pick up the cats that
roam the property) and the “Little White House” (no photos inside) which was used
by Harry Truman as one of his working retreats from Washington, DC.
The day was windy, and a front is moving through the Keys
soon. The waves were rough on the
beaches, and I hope it moves through quickly so rough when we head back to sea
later this afternoon.
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| You cannot go any further south and remain in the USA. Cuba is closer than that closest Wal-mart (120 miles) |
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Ernest
Hemingway arrived in Key West in the early 1930s and wrote about a dozen novels
and short stories.
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Descendants
of Hemingway’s original polydactyl cats still inhabit the property. Polydactyl cats are born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws
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| Hemingway's master bedroom |
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| Hemingway's office where he wrote many stories was once connected by catwalk to his second floor bedroom. |
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| Hemingway did his writing in this office when he lived in Key West. |
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| The front of the Hemingway House. |
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| The "Little White House" still is visited by children of many of the presidents. |
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| The beachfront Westin where ships dock was recently purchased by Jimmy Buffet and has a new name. |
