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Moving Buildings in Key WestThis Island on The Tip of Florida Does it in Style
In the past at the southernmost tip of the United States people seem to have made a habit of moving buildings. These included houses, the library and an office building.
Some of the Bahama houses in the area of Whitehead Street near to the Lighthouse Museum were moved from Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas - plank by plank. The 19th century Porter steamship office was moved from the Key West-Havana ferry dock 300 ft. out into the water, a restaurant was added, then a whole complex built around it. The Library was moved from Duval Street to Fleming Street, then the Conch House was moved from Fleming to its present position on Duval. The Red Barn Theater on Duval is where the library used to be. In the 19th century the oldest house on Truman Avenue was moved to Virginia Street (one road over) on rollers pulled by a mule. It took two weeks. The Victorian house at the end of Duval wasn't moved from its location. The owner didn't like the way the sun struck one of his favorite porches so he had the house turned around. It is hardly surprising that the southernmost tip of the U.S.A. has a reputation for eccentricity. One building that hasn't moved is St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Duval which was originally built in 1838. Unfortunately it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1846, rebuilt again in 1886 and rebuilt yet again in 1909. The current version was built in 1914. Homes of the FamousErnest Hemingway's Spanish Colonial house is on Whitehead, along with several other attractive houses and buildings. Caroline Street is home to the Heritage House Museum which was built in the 1850s by a British "bar-room" owner and has a very mixed bunch of stuff to look at inside. Another house on Caroline is the Curry Mansion. This was bulit in the mid 19th century for Florida's first millionaire - William Curry. Now a hotel-cum-museum it houses an eclectic collection of items. Two of them are Henry James's piano and a lamp designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. How Key West Got its NameThe Spanish named the island in the 1500s - Cayo Hueso. The translation being "Island of Bones". No one knows exactly which bones but it was possibly a Caloosa Indian burial ground. In the mid-18th century the English changed the name to Key West - when Florida belonged to Great Britain. In the early 19th century it was infested with mosquitoes and pirates, the latter being the biggest problem. Once Florida joined the United State of America the military moved in and the pirates moved out. Christmas in Key WestCelebrations begin on December 3 with the Children's Holiday Festival at Bayview Park. The Symphony Orchestra has offerings, there is a Boat Parade (decorated and beautifully lit boats), Holiday House Tours and several other events to celebrate Christmas. For more information about Key West and the other Florida Keys, log onto their web site. Key West is also a port of call for many cruise ships.
The copyright of the article Moving Buildings in Key West in Florida Travel is owned by Barbara Bothwell. Permission to republish Moving Buildings in Key West in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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