Just a few more fun facts before we get to Modern Times (Modern Times! Egad, not that!)...
Anchors Aweigh!
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Key
West Naval Base, just a short walk to the downtown businesses, was once
the economic backbone of the island from the late 1930s to the early 1970s.
Today, the Base is just a shadow of what it used to be. In it's heyday,
fun started for the sailors at the Gate Bar or the Brown Derby (now the
Green Parrot) a submariner's hangout. There were many parades on Duval
Street honoring the servicemen, and as usual, there was never a lack of
celebrating.
The Swamp Gang
Believe it or not—Key West actually had their own "gangsters".
That's' right—they were the notorious "Swamp Gang". Their
trademark was the hanging cigarette, a' la Bogart style, displayed while
sporting that tough-guy sneer. Their headquarters were in the dense, dark
mangrove covered salt ponds or, you guessed it, the swamp. Meetings included
lots of cigarette smoking, talking tough and consuming large quantities
of wine and beer. Gee, it's amazing how men have changed through the years.
(Not!). Just the names of the gang leaders were enough to invoke fear;
Mangor, Rummy, Hag, Maw Susie, George, Tommy and Lee. (Okay, maybe not
George, Tommy and Lee. And I don't even want to know why a man
is called Maw Susie.) Nevertheless, I guess they were to be reckoned with
in those days.
Harry
S. Truman
The most popular
president ever to the residents of Key West. Truman lived here
in his "Little White House" in the 1940s. This was his favorite
vacation spot. (Photo: President Truman and his military staff aides).
Ethel
Waters
Key
West, ever the magnet for stars and celebs, was honored with the presence
of one of the all time greatest blues singers, Ethel Waters. Waters is
shown taking a break on playwright Tennessee Williams' porch during the
filming of "Caribe Gold ".
All
Bets Are Off
It's off to the Slammer. Humorously known as the "town's 
limousine"
the Key West paddy wagon hauls off gambling patrons from a late night
bust at the Jockey Club in the 1950s. That's Police Chief Bienby Berez
looking "all that" as his brood of wrongdoers take the walk
of shame. Clandestine gambling clubs were a favorite pastime in those
days.
Now that you've gotton a little taste of Key West's colorful past, let's fast forward to the present and I'll share with you some of the beautiful, unusual, baudy, intriguing, beguiling and delicious places and things I experienced on ol' Bone Island...more>>