Key West during the Civil War

Print of Fort Taylor, Key West. From Frank Leslie's Magazine, 1861.
Image no. 1998-413-1.

2011 is the sesquicentennial year of the start of the Civil War (150 years ago). Hostilities began April 12, so expect this anniversary to be in the news for the next few weeks and years.

Florida joined the Confederacy, but its largest and wealthiest city, Key West, remained under federal control, a situation that affected all of South Florida throughout the war. Southern sympathizer Jefferson Brown described the situation in his book, Key West: the Old and the New, first published in 1912:

“The election of Abraham Lincoln … stirred up the people of Key West, in common with the rest of the Southland. The cultivated and wealthy citizens were nearly all strongly pro-Southern. …

“The succession of South Carolina was soon followed by a proclamation from the Governor of Florida for a convention of the people to take into consideration the present and future relations of Florida towards a Federal Union, which brought our people to the question of succession or submission.

“A meeting was held … for the purpose of nominating delegates to the State convention to assemble in Tallahassee … for the object of taking into consideration the dangers to this State in remaining in the Federal Union. … [Three] pronounced secessionists were elected by an almost unanimous vote. …

“[Soon thereafter Federal army] Captain [James M.] Brannan on the night of the 13^th of January, while the city slept, marched his entire command from the barracks to Fort Taylor, and took possession of it. …

"Key West, the most strategic point within the Southern Confederacy, being in the hands of the Federal government during the entire war and used as a naval base, was one of the determining factors in the result of the War between the States. The sentiment of Key West was strongly Southern, but with the fortifications in possession of the Federal troops, and no military organization here sufficient to wrest this control from them, the secessionists were deterred from taking any active steps to capture them. …

“Facts were distorted or manufactured to curry favor with the Federal army officers. One instance of this was when a young scion of a distinguished family was given a small toy pistol, from which a cork was driven out by compressed air, with a loud ‘pop.’ It happened to be about the time that news of a Confederate victory reached Key West, and Union sympathizers carried the report to the Federal commanding officer that Mr. ----, a rebel, was celebrating the Confederate victory by a champagne party, and that the popping of champagne corks could be plainly heard.”

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Head, Special Collections

Video Games in a Museum?

At lunch the other day, the chief curator and I were kicking around the idea of a video game exhibition. As an avid gamer and a curator, this was a topic I had spent some time daydreaming about. To have her bring up the topic … well, let’s just say I was geeking out a little.

We both had a moment where we were lamenting that there weren’t more connections to video games in South Florida, so we were discussing Ms. Pacman arcade cabinets and Nintendo Wiis. Then, as we dug deeper in our discussion, we realized there are connections. IBM built their first PCs in Boca Raton. She informed me that she used to work for the studio that created Cabela’s Big Game Hunter, which was based in Greater Miami. Legendary arcade gamer Billy Mitchell calls Hollywood home. There are plenty of games that are set in Miami, from Miami Vice tie-ins to DRIV3R to the barely-fictionalized Vice City of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Writing this has gotten me excited about all of the possibilities. What do you think of this idea? Is there a South Florida connection to video games that I missed?

-- Robert Harkins, Assistant Curator

Ten Super Bowls in Miami

No event captivates the nation's attention like the Super Bowl. This year's big game is to be played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens on February 7th, and will pit the Indianapolis Colts against the New Orleans Saints.

The Super Bowl and South Florida have a long history together. Super Bowl XLIV will be the tenth Super Bowl played in South Florida; it is the fifth at the Miami Dolphins' current home, and five were played at the Orange Bowl in Miami. After February 7th, more Super Bowls will have been played in South Florida than anywhere else, though New Orleans is slated to catch up in 2013. The Orange Bowl hosted the championship game three of the first five years it was played, and is the only venue to have hosted it for two consecutive years, 1968-1969.

Miami is also no stranger to the Pro Bowl. The NFL's all-star game began to be played in Honolulu in 1980. Before that, it moved venues just as the Super Bowl does. The Orange Bowl was the Pro Bowl's home once, in 1975.

South Florida attracts the Super Bowl for much the same reason that it attracts many tourists. Come January or February, when the temperatures don't get above freezing in the northern part of the country, the sun and surf are welcome for a weekend. Or a week. Or two. The added incentive must be very motivating for the Colts. The franchise has been to four Super Bowls over the course of its existence, including 2010. All four of them have been played in South Florida.

-- Robert Harkins, Assistant Curator

This photo: Super Bowl in the Orange Bowl, 1968. City of Miami Collection, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, CM-11384

Burned Cross in Black Crossroads

As a history museum, we’re charged with finding the visual images and objects that tell the story or piece of history presented in an exhibition. This can be a challenge since more history has been captured in text than in actual photographs, and objects are often junked before their historical importance is realized. This was not the case with burned cross above, one of the signature objects on display in the museum’s Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora in Miami exhibition.

The cross is part of the collection of the Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida. Its charred frame sits at the entrance to the Struggles section of the exhibition – the area that explores blacks’ century-long struggle for equality in Miami. It was burned on the lawn of Hazel Howard in 1982. Howard was an African American woman who had just moved into a new home in North Miami.

As telling as that story is about the prevalence of racial prejudice in Miami, how this piece of history got saved also deserves telling. The Community Relations Board (CRB), an inter-racial group created by county in 1963 “to solve hardcore social problems and economic distresses” collected the cross from Howard’s lawn after the incident and attempted to investigate the event. Members of the CRB at the time included community activist Bob Simms, who recalls that they then kept the cross in their offices as visual symbol of the past.

Eventually the board donated the cross to the Black Archives, saving it from historical extinction and enabling future generations to also experience its significance. And experience it they do – visitors to the exhibition are compelled towards it and have reported back to us the powerful connection they make to it. The charred 10-foot cross speaks volumes, makes the past real in a way no text can. All thanks to the CRB who saw that an object of history, no matter how painful, has something to teach all of us.

-- Joanne Hyppolite, Ph.D. Chief Curator.

Apollo 11

On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission blasted off from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Neil Armstrong, “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins ventured through space to the moon. On July 20, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step out onto the moon’s surface, followed shortly thereafter by “Buzz” Aldrin. The astronauts safely returned to earth on July 24, the mission a success.

This pass came into HMSF’s collection in 1989, a gift of Marie Oscar. Individuals invited to watch the launch of the mission were issued one of these official guest passes. Even though Kennedy Space Center is over two hundred miles from Miami, Dade County residents were still able to see the orange streak in the morning sky created by the Saturn V rocket as it pushed the spacecraft into orbit, though the view was certainly much better for those “official guests.”

As a space geek, I would like to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 by reminding everybody that it was “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

-- Robert Harkins, Assistant Curator – Object Collections

1989.031.001

Pan Am Captains Martin & Martin

When Frank Carroll Martin renewed his membership, he chose the new category of Senior. This level requires a birth date to prove that the member is 65 years of age or older, so I called Mr. Martin to record his date of birth, which did not appear on his application.

As I spoke to Mr. Martin, I noticed airplane pictured on the check he had enclosed with his renewal. Curious, I asked him if he had been a pilot. Frank said that he had been a Pan Am Clipper skipper and that his father, Frank Crawford Martin, had been an original China Clipper pilot.

I invited Frank to come to the museum to see some of the Pan Am Collection and to have lunch with the President/CEO Bob McCammon. During lunch, his father’s extensive flights during World War II brought forth many tales about Miami’s place in aeronautical history. Frank informed us that the majority of the soldiers captured from Rommel’s Africa Corps were housed as POWs in South Dade. He told us that the St. Sebastian Apartments in Coral Gables were used as barracks for Royal Air Force student pilots and navigators who were trained almost exclusively in Miami due to its advanced aeronautical facilities. One particularly interesting story relayed was that near the end of the war, his dad piloted the then Prince Feisal of Saudi Arabia to America for his first visit and, true to the “it’s small world” axiom, Bob’s father had flown the prince on the second leg of this same journey in California.

Frank Carroll Martin served as a Pan Am captain for more than fifteen years. He is currently the Area Coordinator for the Blue and Gold Program of the United States Naval Academy, in which he and his associates identify and mentor fine young men and women to become Midshipmen.

Frank is proud of Miami’s place in aeronautical history and the accomplishments of his father that changed the lives and history of the African American community in South Florida. The rewards of Frank Crawford’s labor are still being reaped today; the work of Frank Carroll will be seen tomorrow in the lives of young officers that will serve our nation with distinction.

Captains, the Historical Museum salutes you both!

-- Hilda Masip, Membership Officer

Top picture: Pan Am China Clipper, ca. 1935. HMSF, 1992-233-11.
Bottom photo: Frank Crawford Martin. Courtesy of Frank Carroll Martin.

Haden Mangos

In 1889 the USDA planted three mango trees from India in West Palm Beach. One of them survived the 1895 freeze and, three years later, bore tasty fruit. South Florida horticulturalists were delighted. One of them, Captain Haden of Coconut Grove, bought 30 seeds and planted them. In 1910 an accidental cross between one of those trees and a turpentine mango bore fruit. Florence Haden named the new, surprisingly improved variety after her husband, and, as they say, the rest is history. South Floridians are still growing and eating Haden mangos.

Here is Florence Hayden’s 1912 recipe for mango chutney:

“Ten large fine mangoes, one-half pint seeded raisins, one-half pint lime juice, one-half pint vinegar, two chili peppers, two garlic buttons grated, one medium-sized onion, one tablespoonful white mustard seed, one tablespoonful ground ginger, one heaping tablespoonful of salt, one and one-half pounds brown sugar. Pare and cut mangoes in small pieces. Put all ingredients in a crock or bowl. Let it stand covered over night, and cook it very slowly next morning for three hours. Put in glass jars or bottles, and seal at once.”

Postcard: “Haden Mangoes on Tropical Treasures Grove, Fort Myers, Florida.” ca. 1940. Image no. 1979-011-235.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

97-Year Old Mango Recipes

In 1912 the women of the First Presbyterian Church compiled and published a book—Miami’s first locally produced cookbook. Browsing through The Florida Tropical Cookbook, one discovers that Miamians of a century ago grew and ate mangos, especially in desserts and preserves. Here are a few of their recipes:

“Mango Dumplings. In any recipe where peaches or apples are to be used, substitute ripe mangoes.

“Fried Mangoes. Select mangoes that are not ripe enough to be stringy, peel and slice thin; put tablespoonful butter in frying pan, heat and add mangoes; add sugar, and nutmeg and cinnamon; cover and cook slowly so as not to burn.

“Green Mango Pie. This is equal to rhubarb pie and is so similar to it that many persons mistake the mango pie for it. Peel and slice the green mangoes. Line the pan with good paste and put the fruit into it. Sprinkle with sugar and flour and add a tablespoonful of water.

“Ripe Mango Pie. Peel and slice ripe fruit and proceed as above, using less sugar.

“Mango Ice Cream. Prepare mangoes as for marmalade—about half a dozen for two-quart freezer. Use any good ice cream recipe, and freeze as fruit cream.

“Mango Marmalade. Peel well ripe mangoes and grate on a coarse grater; strain through a copper sieve to take out fiber; boil with a little less than equal part sugar until stiff.

“Canned Mangoes. Peel the fruit and cut into neat slices, cutting from stem end. Put in boiling syrup, boil ten minutes, and place in well sterilized jars and seal at once. Make a syrup by using one cupful of sugar and one cupful of water. Do not attempt to cook a large quantity at one time or the slices will break up.

“Mango Jelly. For jelly the green fruit is used. Peel and cook the green fruit. Strain and to each cupful of boiling juice, add one cupful of sugar. Boil until jelly forms when the juice is dropped from a spoon.

“Mango Sweet Pickle. Choose nice, firm mangoes; pare and slice them. To every quart of fruit, allow a cupful of white sugar and a large pint of good vinegar, adding just enough whole cloves to flavor as you like; too many will turn the fruit dark. Let it come to a boil and put in the mangoes and cook until they are thoroughly heated. Too much cooking will make them mushy. Put into jars and seal while hot.

“Mango Chutney. Five pounds of the fruit after it is peeled and cut off the seed, two pounds sugar, two quarts vinegar. Cook until smooth and thick, stirring to keep from burning. When it is thick enough to drop from spoon, take off the fire. Add two pounds seeded raisins, two ounces ground mustard, two ounces ground ginger, four ounces salt, one-quarter small teaspoonful of ground cayenne pepper. Mix, let stand till next day, stirring often. Then reheat and pack in small glass jars and seal. Fine with meat, or for sandwiches.

“East India Mango Chutney. Five pounds of ripe mangoes, or tart apples, two pounds brown sugar, two quarts cider vinegar. Cook this until smooth and thick. Take up and add one pound Sultana raisins (chopped), one clove of garlic (if liked), two ounces ground mustard seed, two ounces ginger root, four ounces salt, three pods red pepper (chopped). Mix, let stand eight hours. Stir thoroughly. Heat this through; pack in small jars, and seal. Use for cold meats or for sandwiches. Will keep years in a cool place.”

Whew! These recipes sure give a modern cook plenty of guess work!

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Illustration: from a 19th century lithograph.
Image no. 1995-293-1

Royal Poincianas

It’s June in Miami. Roadside vendors offer tasty mangos and lychees, and that most glorious of trees, the Royal Poinciana, is in bloom. Someone introduced the Poinciana, a native of Madagascar, to South Florida more than a century ago.

In 1894, Palm Beach’s first grand hotel opened—the Royal Poinciana. Back then, tourist season only lasted from the beginning of January to the end of February, so guests never saw the hotel’s namesake in bloom. We who live here, however, admire them throughout South Florida’s cities and suburbs.

In 1916, Charles Torrey Simpson admitted that “I said when I first saw one of these trees in bloom that I was willing to endure the torment of mosquitoes, sand burs [sic], land crabs and all the pests and vermin of Florida in order that I might live in a land where the royal Poinciana flaunted its splendid blossoms to the sky.”

Many South Floridians agree.

Top postcard: “Poinciana Tree, Miami, Fla.” Miami: J. N. Chamberlain, ca. 1915. Image no. 1984-100-17.

Bottom postcard: “Royal Poinciana Hotel, Palm Beach, Fla.” Milwaukee: E. O. Kropp, ca. 1905. Image no. 1990-258-1.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Mosquito Season

The rainy season has finally arrived, and with it have come the mosquitoes. While Gray Kingbirds feast, South Floridians try not to be bitten. In pioneer days that meant wrapping newspapers around one’s limbs and keeping close to a smoking smudge pot. Nowadays we use bug spray or retreat indoors (the museum’s indoors and air-conditioned, and it’s a good time to visit). Meanwhile, consider the mosquito’s place in history.

A previous blog entry, “An Epidemic Stampede,” described late 19th century Yellow Fever epidemics. The 1888 railroad car panic in that entry’s illustration resulted from ignorance—no one in Florida knew how Yellow Fever was transmitted, so it seemed best to stay well away from the sick. Seven years earlier, though, Cuban physician Carlos Finlay had identified the pesky mosquito as the culprit. His hypothesis languished for nearly two decades, until Dr. Walter Reed and other doctors were called to Panama to find out why so many canal workers were catching Yellow Fever. Dr. Reed confirmed and publicized Finlay’s hunch—to control Yellow Fever, control the mosquitoes.

So, South Floridians, empty the standing water from the flower pots in your gardens (where mosquitoes breed), and use bug repellant and mosquito nets when you venture into their territory. Just don’t expect Mosquito Control to kill them all—they were here first.

This picture: “The Male Musquito.” [sic] In Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. 1859. Image 2007-260-1

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research materials

Slow Boat to Stiltsville

Saturday morning was a perfect day to take a boat ride. A group of people gathered on the dock at Bayside waiting to embark on Dr. George’s boat tour. On this tour they would see not only Key Biscayne and the Cape Florida Lighthouse, but also the community of houses set on stilts in the middle of the beautiful waters of Biscayne Bay that came to be known as Stiltsville. With the breathtaking views and the beautiful weather, Dr. George did not disappoint.

Stiltsville’s first structure was built in the early 1930s. The current community is comprised of seven homes. In its heyday, there were up to 25 structures present in the bay’s waters. Begun as a hangout for local fishermen, it has transformed into a well-known part of Miami’s skyline.

This tour was a great opportunity to sit back, relax and learn about a hidden gem of South Florida’s history!

Views from the Stiltsville, Cape Florida Lighthouse and Key Biscayne Boat Tour

This view: Stiltsville, ca. 1980. Miami News Collection, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 1989-011-15650.

-- Molli Songco, Assistant Curator of Exhibits

An Epidemic Stampede

Recent news, filled with fears of a pandemic, brings to mind earlier epidemics. Settlements in hot and humid Florida, for example, endured a number of Yellow Fever outbreaks until about a century ago.

In this 1888 illustration, a woman on a train has fallen ill. Her terrified fellow passengers, believing her contagious, are stampeding out of the railway car. Yellow Fever had broken out in Jacksonville in July, and most of the city’s inhabitants fled, fearing for their lives. Of the nearly 14,000 who remained, confined by a quarantine, 4,700 sickened and 430 died before the epidemic ended with the arrival of cold weather in November.

A few years later, Miami also endured a Yellow Fever epidemic. For three months the tiny, new city was quarantined. Of the less than 2,000 residents, more than 200 people fell ill and 14 died. The crises passed with the arrival of cool weather in January 1900.

Returning to this picture, I wonder. Has the woman caught Yellow Fever or has she fainted from a too-tight corset?

“Scene on a Refugee Railway Train in Florida—a Case of Yellow Fever: the Stampede,” from a sketch by James Mott. In Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, September 28, 1888. Image 2005-271-1.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

The Hampton House

The Hampton House was a popular motel and social hub for African-Americans during the 1950s and 1960s. Wedding receptions and beauty contests enlivened the motel's pool deck, and night after night locals and out-of-towners packed the club, enjoying great music and good company.

Did you know that Muhammad Ali, in town for his epic bout with Sonny Liston, stayed at the Hampton House? Dr. Martin Luther King, in Miami to meet with civil rights organizers, held press conferences at the hotel ... and found time for a dip in the pool. In addition, a slew of famous musicians including Sammy Davis, Cab Calloway and James Brown visited the Hampton House.

This 1967 photograph from the City of Miami Collection shows beauty contest contestants arriving for a stay at the Hampton House.

As society integrated, the Hampton House faded and by the mid-1970s the motel closed.

Now the Hampton House is coming back to life. The hotel is being restored as a museum and music archive. Find out more here: Hampton House video from Miami-Dade TV.

Historic photos of the Hampton House are currently on display at the Historical Museum’s Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora in Miami exhibition.

-- Kara Sincich, External Relations Coordinator

The House of Shells

I stumbled upon this gem while refiling postcards. Apparently inspired by the Bottle Cap Inn, someone covered the exterior of this shop with sea shells, dubbed it The House of Shells, and opened for business selling curios and, presumably, souvenir shells.

The building is encrusted with abalones; Queen, King and Horse Conchs; tritons and murexes—no wonder these once common snails have become so scarce!

The House of Shells is listed in Miami city directories from 1941 to 1947, after which we can assume it went out of business. This short life can probably be attributed to its location, 1299 SW 32nd Avenue, far from the tourists who should have been its best customers and across the street from a cemetery (Woodlawn Park).

The Bottle Cap Inn, covered inside and out with—you guessed it—bottle caps, lasted much longer. But that is another postcard and another story.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials