Key West

The Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House is a historic home in Key West, Florida. It is located at 429 Caroline Street. On June 4, 1973, it was added to the... U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
more

The Armory is a historic site in Key West, Florida, United States. It is located at 600 White Street. On March 11, 1971, it was added to the U.S.... National Register of Historic Places. In 2006, it became the home and initial campus of The Studios of Key West, a new artist community offering creative space, professional workshops, and other creative and cultural activities.
more

The Western Union is a historic schooner in Key West, Florida, United States. It is located in the Key West Bight at 202 William Street. On May 16,... 1984, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1939 by Thompson Enterprises, it was the last large sailing vessel built in Key West. It was leased to the Western Union Telegraph Co. and used to check and repair the signal cable from Key West to Cuba, as well as lay undersea telegraph cable throughout the Caribbean. It sails twice per day giving guests a glimpse of Key West's historic maritime past. It is the official flagship of the State of Florida and the flagship of the city of Key West.
more

Sand Key Light is located six nautical miles southwest of Key West, Florida, between Sand Key Channel and Rock Key Channel, two of the channels into... Key West. It is located on a reef that is intermittently covered by sand. At times the key has been substantial enough to have trees, and in 1900 nine to twelve thousand terns nested on the island. At other times the island has been washed away completely. As of 1998, Sand Key was a sand bar with no vegetation. The first navigational light on Sand Key was a 60-foot brick tower built in 1827. The first keeper, John Flaherty, died in 1830, and his widow Rebecca became the keeper for the next 16 years. In 1844 a hurricane eroded part of the island, destroyed the keeper's house, and damaged the seawall, which took a year to repair. The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 washed away the sand on the key, undermining and toppling the light tower. Rebecca Flaherty and five others in the lighthouse were killed. As the Key West Light had also been destroyed in the same storm, a ship, the Honey, was acquired and outfitted as a lightship to serve as the Sand Key Light until new lighthouses could be built.
more

The Key West lighthouse is located in Key West, Florida. The first Key West lighthouse was a 65-foot tower completed in 1825. It had 15 lamps in... 15-inch reflectors. The first keeper, Michael Mabrity, died in 1832, and his widow, Barbara, became the lighthouse keeper, serving for 32 years. The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 destroyed the lighthouse; the USS Morris, which was wrecked during the storm, reported "a white sand beach covers the spot where Key West Lighthouse stood". Barbara Mabrity survived, but fourteen people who had sought refuge in the lighthouse tower died, including seven members of her family. away, killing six people, including the keeper, Rebecca Flaherty, another widow of a previous keeper. Barbara Mabrity continued to serve as keeper of the Key West Light until the early 1860s, when she was fired at age 82 for making statements against the Union .
more

The Martello Gallery-Key West Art and Historical Museum , is a historic site located at 3501 South Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, Florida, United... States. On June 19, 1972, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is the best-preserved example of the Martello style of military architecture in the country. The site is now known as the Fort East Martello Museum & Gardens, and features exhibits of local history and art. Displays include early settlement, sponging and fishing, Cuban influence, military involvement, writers and other characters. The museum notably houses Robert the Doll, a haunted doll belonging to the late artist Robert Eugene Otto. The museum also features works by folk artist Mario Sanchez, and art created from junk by Stanley Papio. The Key West Art & Historical Society operates the museum.
more

The Ernest Hemingway House, officially known as the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, was the residence of author Ernest Hemingway in Key West,... Florida, United States. It is located at 907 Whitehead Street, near a prominent lighthouse close to the Southern coast of the island. On November 24, 1968, it was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark. This was Hemingway's home from 1931 to 1939. It is a private, for-profit landmark and tourist attraction now populated by six and seven-toed cats that guides claim are descendants of Hemingway's cats. The author's second son, Patrick, who lived in the house, stated in a 1994 interview in the Miami Herald's "Tropic" that his father had peacocks in Key West, but no cats; he owned cats in Cuba. In a 1972 L.A. Times interview, Hemingway's widow Mary denounced the sale of "Hemingway cats" by the owners of the house as "An outright lie. Rank exploitation of Ernest's name." The house no longer sells cats, but does continue a selective breeding program for them.
more

The Old Post Office and Customshouse is a historic site located at 281 Front Street, Key West, Florida, United States. On September 20, 1973, it was... added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Old Post Office and Customshouse currently serves as the Key West Museum of Art & History, which is one of several museums operated by the Key West Art & Historical Society. Exhibits include local history, famous personalities including Ernest Hemingway, maritime history, and works by local artists. The building was designed by architect William Kerr, and was completed in 1891. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida met here from its completion until 1932, when the building was transferred to the United States Navy.
more

Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress... and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the Best Actress category. She had also produced her own films such as the controversial Sadie Thompson and The Love of Sunya. In 1929, Swanson successfully transitioned to talkies with The Trespasser. However, personal problems and changing tastes saw her popularity wane during the 1930s when she moved into theater and television. Today she is best known for her role as Norma Desmond, a faded silent film star, in the critically acclaimed film Sunset Boulevard . Gloria Josephine May Swanson was born in a small house in Chicago, Illinois in 1899 to Adelaide and Joseph Theodore Swanson, a soldier. She attended Hawthorne Scholastic Academy. Her father was from a strict Lutheran Swedish American family, and her mother was of German, French, and Polish ancestry.
more

David Maurice Robinson August 6, 1965 is a retired American NBA basketball player, who played center for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire NBA... career. Based on his prior service as an officer in the United States Navy, Robinson earned the nickname "The Admiral". He and teammate power forward Tim Duncan were nicknamed "The Twin Towers". Robinson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan, and C. Vivian Stringer on September 11, 2009. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers in NBA history. David Robinson was born August 6, 1965, in Key West, Florida, the second child of Ambrose and Freda Robinson. Since Robinson's father was in the Navy, the family moved many times. After his father retired from the Navy, the family settled in Woodbridge, Virginia, where Robinson excelled in school and in most sports, except basketball. He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall in junior high school so he tried his hand at basketball, but soon quit. Robinson attended Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.
more

Theodore "Fats" Navarro was an American jazz trumpet player. He was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s. He had a strong... stylistic influence on many other players, most notably Clifford Brown. Navarro was born in Key West, Florida, to Cuban-Black-Chinese parentage. He began playing piano at age six, but did not become serious about music until he began playing trumpet at age of thirteen. He was a childhood friend of drummer Al Dreares. By the time he graduated from Douglass high school he wanted to be away from Key West and joined a dance band headed for the midwest. Tiring of the road life after touring with many bands and gaining valuable experience, including influencing a young J. J. Johnson when they were together in Snookum Russell's territory band, Navarro settled in New York City in 1946, where his career took off. He met and played with, among others, Charlie Parker, one of the greatest musical innovators of modern jazz improvisation, but Navarro was in a position to demand a high salary, and did not join one of Parker's regular groups.
more

Robert Fuller is an American former television Western actor and current rancher. In his five decades of television, he's best known for starring... roles on the popular 1960s western series Laramie as Jess Harper, and Wagon Train as Cooper Smith, as well as his work for his lead role, Dr. Kelly Brackett, in the popular 1970s medical drama Emergency!, opposite his best friends Julie London and her husband Bobby Troup. An only child, Fuller was born Buddy Lee in Troy, New York, to Betty Simpson, a dance instructor. Prior to Lee's birth, Simpson married Robert Simpson, Sr., a Naval Academy officer. The family moved to Key West, Florida, where Lee took the name of his parents, becoming Robert Simpson, Jr.. The early highlights of Simpson's life were acting and dancing , and after graduating from the Miami Military Academy in 1952, he traveled to Hollywood with his family, where Fuller's first job was a stunt man. He also worked at the prestigious Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Upon establishing his acting career, he changed his name to "Robert Fuller." Fuller's first small role was 1952's Above and Beyond.
more

David Maurice Robinson August 6, 1965 is a retired American NBA basketball player, who played center for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire NBA... career. Based on his prior service as an officer in the United States Navy, Robinson earned the nickname "The Admiral". He and teammate power forward Tim Duncan were nicknamed "The Twin Towers". Robinson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan, and C. Vivian Stringer on September 11, 2009. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers in NBA history. David Robinson was born August 6, 1965, in Key West, Florida, the second child of Ambrose and Freda Robinson. Since Robinson's father was in the Navy, the family moved many times. After his father retired from the Navy, the family settled in Woodbridge, Virginia, where Robinson excelled in school and in most sports, except basketball. He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall in junior high school so he tried his hand at basketball, but soon quit. Robinson attended Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.
more

Theodore "Fats" Navarro was an American jazz trumpet player. He was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s. He had a strong... stylistic influence on many other players, most notably Clifford Brown. Navarro was born in Key West, Florida, to Cuban-Black-Chinese parentage. He began playing piano at age six, but did not become serious about music until he began playing trumpet at age of thirteen. He was a childhood friend of drummer Al Dreares. By the time he graduated from Douglass high school he wanted to be away from Key West and joined a dance band headed for the midwest. Tiring of the road life after touring with many bands and gaining valuable experience, including influencing a young J. J. Johnson when they were together in Snookum Russell's territory band, Navarro settled in New York City in 1946, where his career took off. He met and played with, among others, Charlie Parker, one of the greatest musical innovators of modern jazz improvisation, but Navarro was in a position to demand a high salary, and did not join one of Parker's regular groups.
more

Bronson Anthony Arroyo is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and an aspiring musician. He has previously played... for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2000 and 2002 and Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005. Bronson is a Cuban-American and grew up in Brooksville, Florida and pitched for Hernando High School, graduating in 1995. Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 1995 draft, Arroyo made his major league debut with Pittsburgh in 2000. He came to the Boston Red Sox after being selected off waivers before the 2003 season. On August 10, 2003, Arroyo pitched the fourth nine-inning perfect game in the 121-year history of the International League as the PawSox beat the Buffalo Bisons 7–0 at McCoy Stadium. He needed 101 pitches to throw his masterpiece , struck out nine, and got 10 fly outs and eight ground balls from the Buffalo 27 batters. He went to a three-ball count to just three hitters all game. Arroyo improved in 2004, while jumping from middle relief to starting, to strengthen his role as the Red Sox No. 5 starter. He compiled a 10–9 mark with a 4.
more

Michael Shane Spencer is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. In Major League Baseball, he played a total of 538 games for the New York... Yankees, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and New York Mets, compiling 438 hits, 59 home runs, and 242 RBI. He was a replacement player during spring training in 1995, crossing the picket line during the 1994 Major League Baseball strike. The stocky, baby-faced outfielder was first called up to the major leagues in 1998 at the age of 26, in the midst of a famously dominant season by the Yankees. He first played briefly in April, then endeared himself memorably to fans in September by hitting 10 home runs, including 3 grand slams in only 67 at-bats, earning him a spot on the Yankees postseason roster. Spencer was nicknamed Roy Hobbs, in reference to the protagonist in The Natural, because he hit so many home runs and was older than most rookies when brought up to the majors. He hit a long home run in Yankee Stadium during the Divisional Series against the Texas Rangers, and the Yankees went on to win the World Series.
more