Henry Flagler, St. Augustine, and the Sea Islands of South Carolina

Growing up in California, I learned that the first settlement in the United States was in Jamestown in 1607.   In fact, there was a settlement in 1565 in St. Augustine, Florida (and the Spanish settled in New Mexico in 1598).  The old saying that history is written by the victors is so true.  St. Augustine today is touristy but not overly so.  The old buildings and original fort, Castillo de San Marcus, are close together and quite lovely.  The fort was used to defend the city during a time when the Spanish and British vied for control of the New World.  The British controlled the fort following the French and Indian War in 1763 and used it during the Revolutionary War.  Then it was in Spanish hands but in 1821 the US acquired Florida from Spain and the fort was used to house American Indians during the Indian Wars.

Castillo de San Marco

The Population of Florida is now nearly 20 million!

The history of major east coast Florida development revolves around Henry Flagler.  While we have all heard of Rockefeller and Standard Oil, Henry Flagler was a cofounder of the company and is credited with taking the company public, this enabling its growth and prominence.  Henry's first wife was not well and he took her to Jacksonville, Florida for her health.  The change did not provide much benefit and she subsequently died.  When Flagler remarried he traveled south to St. Augustine and, not able to slow down and finding accommodations without the amenities to which he was accustomed, he proceeded to build the Ponce de Leon Hotel in 1888.

Ponce de Leon Hotel-Now Flagler College

He also bought the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax Railroad which later became the Florida East Coast Railway System.  Over the years, Flagler continued to build the rail line south along the east coast of Florida, adding hotels as he went.

Flagler decided to take the rail line all the way down to Key West.  Pigeon Key housed the workmen who built the railroad that connected the Homestead area of South Florida to Key West, starting in 1903.  At one time, due to the wrecking business, Key West was the wealthiest city in the US.   Shallow waters and the lack of navigation aids resulted in many wrecked ships and the salvage business proved so lucrative that rumors persist that ships were lured to their demise.  Before the railroad, the only access to Key West was via boat, over 100 miles.  Under Flagler's direction, while he was in his late 70's and 80's, the railroad reached Key West in 1912.  The project has been characterized as the most ambitious engineering feat ever undertaken by a private citizen.

Original Building on Pigeon Key where Railroad Construction Workers were Headquartered

The railroad ran until 1935, when a hurricane devastated the Keys.  The railroad, which was by then suffering financial problems, was seriously damaged and the State of Florida used the still viable columns and paved over the rail bed, permitting the first automobile traffic traversing the Keys.

While staying in St. Augustine, we were again lucky to find a park with a lovely wetlands view.

Joan enjoying the sunset and Max looking for critters

Leaving Florida we traveled a mere 100 miles to a lovely resort in Hilton Head, SC.  After waiting one night, we scored a very private waterfront campsite.

Our motorhome looks out at the water and the site has grass and foliage

We have as neighbors a fun group of 4 brothers, Dad and their male dog enjoying a four day "Boys' Outing."  The dog named Jello (the grandkids named him, poor boy) and Max became buddies.

Max and Jello

A day's outing to the sea islands, Beaufort and St. Helena, resulted in stocking the freezer with local shrimp and buying a sweetgrass basket from the artisan's front yard.  In the Gay Fish Co. shop we met the current Mr. Gay who explained the photos on the wall, ranging from his very young looking Great Grandfather in his Civil War Uniform to his Grandpa and father, who founded the fish company.  Mr. Gay grew up on St. Helena and said in his early years thought the only while women in the world were his mother and sister as St. Helena was populated by Black descendants of early slaves on the island.

The Gay Fish Company is named for the owner's father, Mr. Gay and is not a statement of lifestyle preference

Current Owner, Mr. Gay

Gay Company Shrimper

Sweetgrass Baskets are a local specialty and are made from marsh sweetgrass (now hard to find) and wrapped with palmetto strands.  They are labor intensive and we found Ms. Lillie on St. Helena Island in her yard weaving baskets and displaying them for sale.

Lillie Charlton Making Sweetgrass Baskets

Sweetgrass Basket

While Ms. Lillie is from Mt. Pleasant, north of Charleston, her husband is from St. Helena.  St. Helena was an isolated Black island community following the Civil War and is known for the African based dialect, Gullah, that was spoken on the island for over 100 years.  She said she speaks a bit of Gullah but her husband really does.  Sweetgrass baskets are an African tradition and were originally used to collect rice in the "Rice Coast of West Africa."

Cubans in South Florida and the Conch Republic

CUBANS

We continue to experience the Cuban exile influence.  The trip to the salon for a pedicure provided an hour long talk about the lady's experience as a sixteen year old, coming as part of the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980, when Castro opened prisons and encouraged dissidents and other "undesirables" to leave Cuba.  Castro's agreement to the mass departure, estimated to be as many as 125,000 over a six month period, resulted from 10,000 Cubans trying to gain asylum by going to the Peruvian embassy.  Her personal background was interesting, with a Chinese mother and French father.  She later married a Cuban man of Lebanese origin.

The next experience occured at lunch in a small Cuban cafe in Key West.  You reached the restaurant, named Juan Loves Lucy,  by walking down a narrow corridor from the street.  Visible behind the open air cafe was a small hotel, originally the Custom House.

Cafe Juan Loves Lucy

Inn behind Juan Loves Lucy

Being the only customers, we began a conversation with Juan, who along with his wife Lucy, owns the cafe.  Lucy was in Cuba, visiting relatives but Juan says he never goes and he expressed a continuing hatred for Fidel Castro.  He showed us an album of his artwork, including the translation of his story of coming to America:


In 1994 we escaped in a raft.  Many of those who sailed that day were lost at sea.  The huge storm was right behind us.  We used our rain wraps as a sail.  It took us to a ship.  We all shouted thanks with joy.  We were saved.  I gave my Virgin my thanks.

Juan explained that their rescue just preceded Clinton's change to Cuban refugee policy, instituting the current "wet foot, dry foot rule."  As a result, he and his wife spent 8 months in Guantanamo while the US decided his fate.  In the end he was able to choose Virginia as his destination.  He did not want to go to Miami as he wished to learn English and develop useful American skills.  Because he sensed we were truly interested he gave me his card, with his blog address and encouraged me to read the entry called "Rebel," about the night of the revolution, a petrified six year old and his dog Rebel.

http://cubaenmi.blogspot.com/2012/06/rebelde.html

Juan Ego is a self taught artist.  Some of his art is on his blog at

https://plus.google.com/105984311971650590789/posts/Z1B3g2qPSvD?pid=6230786300014944818&oid=105984311971650590789&authkey=COm8h9jQtfSLmwE

Coincidentally, among the books I brought along was The Boys from Dolores, a story of the Castros and others who attended Dolores, the Jesuit school in Santiago, Cuba. Nonfiction but reading somewhat like fiction are the well researched stories of men who went to school together in the 40's and 50's, where they ended up and their views of Cuba's experience and the Castros.  The author visited Cuba many times and includes his observations.  The book was published in 2007 and included some of the following interesting facts/observations:

2.2 pounds of pork cost about 10 days' wages

Medical school is the first choice for advanced education among students and entry is based on grades, test scores and also on things such as who you know and membership in communist youth groups.  Despite this, doctors do not make as much as busboys

Operation Peter Pan was organized by the Catholic Church following closure of all Catholic schools replaced by state run schools with precisely proscribed curriculum.  The church arranged for over 14,000 mostly boys to travel to the US and live with foster families or relatives and continue their Catholic education.  Many never saw their parents again.

It is estimated that there are nearly one million Cuban exiles in the United States.


THE CONCH REPUBLIC

The Keys are a unique place where free spirits can find a home.  Over 100 years after the Civil War, during which Florida was part of the Confederacy, the Keys again found it necessary to proclaim their independence.  The impetus was an instance of clueless, governmental overreach.

On April 18, 1982, the United States Border Patrol established a roadblock on U.S. 1, just south of Florida City. The only access point by land from the Florida Keys to the mainland was closed, and people leaving the Keys were treated as though they were exiting a foreign country.

The U.S. Border Patrol claimed that the roadblock was established to stop “illegal” immigrants from entering the mainland United States from the Florida Keys. Every car leaving the Keys was checked thoroughly by the Border Patrol, including unlikely hiding places such as glove compartments and under seats.

The 17-mile traffic jams that accompanied the roadblock had an immediate negative impact on tourism in the Florida Keys. Reservations were canceled, hotels stood empty, and local attractions had no customers.

Community leaders from Key West filed an injunction against the U.S. Border Patrol roadblock in Federal Court in Miami. The court ruled that the roadblock could continue.

As Key West Mayor Dennis Wardlow left the courthouse, he was greeted by press from around the world. When asked what would happen next, the mayor said, “Tomorrow at noon, the Florida Keys will secede from the Union!”

The press — and federal agents — flooded Key West the next day. As promised, at noon on April 23, 1982, Mayor Wardlow read a Proclamation of Secession, declaring that Key West would be a sovereign nation known as the Conch Republic.

Having changed his title from Mayor of Key West to Prime Minister of the Conch Republic, Wardlow followed his mock secession with a declaration of war on the United States. The “war” started and ended with loaves of stale Cuban bread being broken over the head of a man dressed in a U.S. Navy uniform.

After one minute of rebellion, Prime Minister Wardlow surrendered to Union forces at the Navy base in Key West. He immediately demanded $1 billion in foreign aid and war relief “to rebuild our nation after the long federal siege.”

With their highly publicized mock secession and fake war against the United States, the residents of Key West successfully used humor to bring attention to a serious issue affecting the local economy.

Following widespread reports of the establishment of the Conch Republic, the U.S. Border Patrol roadblock was quickly and unceremoniously removed.

Today, the Conch Republic continues to issue its own passport. The republic has its own flag with the motto “We Seceded Where Others Failed.” In April each year, Key West residents and visitors celebrate the independence of the Conch Republic.

The 32nd Anniversary Conch Republic Independence Celebration includes a raising of the official Conch Republic flag, a parade, a Drag Race on Duval Street (high heels, not cars), and numerous other excuses to party through the end of the month.

The Flag of the Conch Republic

Key West Florida | Conch Republic Independence Celebration – Each year Key West locals celebrate Conch Republic Independence Day. The U.S. Coast Guard and Conchs re-enact the battle with water cannon fights in the harbor. The Conch Republic Air Force drops rolls of toilet paper on defending Coast Guard boats.

Dry Tortugas, Crane Point and....Key Lime Pie

We have been eager to visit the Dry Tortugas, which are almost 70 miles Southwest of Key West.  We opted for a float plane, a 1960 de Havilland Otter.  The flight is much shorter than the usual ferry trip, allowing us to send Max to daycare and avoid an overnight boarding.

As it turns out the flight itself was fun, providing a view of the reefs, a couple of wrecks and also numerous swimming sea turtles.  Our pilot, Evan, has an interesting gypsy float plane pilot history, from Montana, to Southeast Alaska, Lake Charles, Savannah and now Key West.

Evan Flying the Otter Barefoot

Construction of Fort Jefferson was started in 1846 for the purpose of controlling navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect Atlantic bound Mississippi River trade.  The fort is one of the nation's largest masonry 1800's forts and when construction was stopped, it consisted of about 16 million bricks.

Sea Routes Protected by Fort Jefferson

The fort is now part of the seven island Dry Tortugas National Park and in addition to the Fort,  is noted for bird and marine life as well as shipwrecks.  The islands were first named Las Tortugas by Ponce de Leon, then later shown on mariners' charts as Dry Tortugas to indicate no fresh water was available.

Fort Jefferson with Surrounded by Moat

Building used to heat cannonballs for 30 minutes so they would set wooden ships afire

 During the Civil War the Fort was used to house captured deserters.  It also housed the men convicted of complicity in Lincoln's assassination, including Samuel Mudd.   Mudd had treated John Wilkes Booth and delayed reporting his presence for a day.  When the prison doctor died during a yellow fever outbreak at the fort, Mudd volunteered to take his place and according to reports, heroically worked to save lives.  In recognition of this he was pardoned in 1869 by President Andrew Johnson.

Dr. Samuel Mudd's Cell

Parade Ground seen from interior fort window

The Crane Point Museum and Nature Center is a local Key Marathon attraction, easy to get to but delightful.  We took the 1 1/2 hours tram tour the morning following some heavy rain so had the tram to ourselves.  The guide was delightful, though a volunteer he was a trained biologist who could identify all the plants in what is one of the few remaining hardwood hammocks.

Osprey Nest in the Hammock

Of special importance is the hand built home of the original owner of the property, a Bahamian man who had saved $100 from his work in pineapple fields and bought the 63 acre plot sight unseen.  He and his wife built the small home from tabby, which is sea shells burned to create limestone and then used to make a crude cement like material.  The building stands today, more that a century later while another home on the property, the Crane house-built in 1954 by a famous architect-is unsafe for entry.

Adderly House made of Tabby

 George Adderly and his wife were hardworking entrepreneurs, making a living from collecting and cleaning sponges and making charcoal while clearing land for building and access.
After the tram tour we were able to return with Max and spend another hour walking the trails.

On a lighter note, I am on a mission to find the best Key Lime Pie.  They come in many varieties and locals will argue about which is the authentic recipe.  All seem to have, of course, key lime juice (it must be key limes which are tarter than other limes) and sweetened condensed milk, with graham cracker crusts.  Some use eggs, cooked or uncooked, and some are topped with meringue, others whipped cream.  One touted by a local general store was from The Key Lime Pie Company located in Key West.  It is sold frozen and has a chiffon consistency.  If you don't want the whole pie, you can buy a piece of pie on a stick, dipped in chocolate.  Wonder if they have these in heaven????

Key Lime Pie with Meringue from Herbies

Pieces of this are in the freezer, not to last long

Key Lime Pie on a Stick