Author. Historian. Ranter. Idea Junkie.
Key West: History of An Island of Dreams
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The history of the celebrated island city, from its founding in the 1820s to the “secession” era of the 1980s.
Parrotheads, Hemingway aficionados, and sun worshippers view Key West as a tropical paradise, and scores of writers have set tales of mystery and romance on the island. But the city’s real story is as fabulous as fiction.
In the early 1800s, pioneer settlers battled Indians, pirates, and deadly disease, and grew fabulously rich in the process. In the two centuries since, Key West has nurtured tragedy and triumph and stood at the crossroads of American history.
Key West: History of An Island of Dreams is the first full account of this beloved island’s history, from pirate battles of the 1820s to the arrival of hippies, drugs, and Jimmy Buffett in the 1960s and 1970s.
Did you know?
- Confederate Florida seceded in 1861, but Key West remained in the Union, thanks to a midnight takeover of Fort Zachary Taylor by federal troops stationed on the island.
- On July 2, 1934, during the depths of the Great Depression, the people of Key West practiced another kind of secession. The city was broke, so city officials signed the island over to the governor of Florida. He, in turn, passed it on to the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, which took over the job of getting the place back on its financial feet.
The Critics Say:
“Ogle’s thorough research [and] wry perspective make this book a fascinating read.” / Tallahassee Democrat
“Beautifully written and inescapably readable, it’s not just the history of Florida’s most famous southern island; it is also a history of post-1800 America as told from one vantage point.” / Tampa Tribune
“Ogle captures this island city in all its quirky charm. Her story breezes along in typical Key West fashion–full of gossip and good humor, with the jolt of a good cup of Cuban coffee.” / Lee Irby
5 Responses to “Key West: History of An Island of Dreams”
So I am curious … why a book on Key West? I have bought your book online and await its arrival. I enjoy all matter of books on Key West, but admit since I was a history major in college, history holds a special appeal. How long did it take you to write your book. Thanks and look forward to reading your book!
Thank YOU! Why Key West? Here’s the longish story: I had decided to leave my job as a university professor to write history for a general audience. I needed a book idea to get this new career off the ground. I was living in Mobile, AL at the time and was driving home from somewhere with the radio on. This was in September or October. A big hurricane was headed toward the Gulf and toward the Florida Keys.
A reporter interviewed a woman who lived in Key West. She was in her 90s and had lived in FL all her life. The reporter asked her if she was worried about the storm, and she said “Oh, no! I was in a much worse storm in Cuba back in the 1920s.”
And I thought: “Wow!” I didn’t know much about FL history and had no idea where or what Key West was. But I did know that in the 20s, south FL was a pretty happening place and many Americans regularly went to Cuba. I was curious.
So when I got home, I got out an atlas and looked up KW. There it was: Part of the US, but an island. Somehow it just grabbed me. I did a quick library search (this was back in the 1990s, so that search took a couple of days) and realized no one had ever written a solid history of KW and that the city had what seemed like an interesting history. So: I wrote this book!
This one only took me about 2.5 years. Short by my standards. (I’ve been working on my current book for 7 years and the beer book too five.) I learned a LOT about how to write for a general audience from writing the KW book and once I’d finished it, I knew I could keep doing this kind of work. So. There you go. Thanks for stopping by and when you finish the book, let me know what you think.
Interesting! I will definitely let you know what I think but I am sure I will greatly enjoy it! Thanks for the response.
I loved the book. A fantastic read about a fantastic place. What I really loved, was after reading the history of the place, on the very last page you included that quote from the 1950′s (I forget who wrote it, I don’t have the book in front of me). You can use that quote for any place in the world, but for KW, it’s perfect.
Thank you so much for writing about a place I do not visit as much as I should. or really NEED to visit more often.
Vinny, thanks so much for that! Wow. You pretty much made my day.
AND: Thanks for noting that quote. Ending a book is a weird challenge. You gotta go out on the right note, you know? And that quote from Elmer Davis struck me as not only the perfect note, but it also captured what is for me the essence of KW.
So thanks. Next round’s on me!