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Key Biscayne: A History of Miami's Tropical Island and the Cape Florida Lighthouse
Just south of Miami Beach lies the southernmost sand barrier island of the continental United States—Key Biscayne. Long the symbol of an idyllic, barefoot, island lifestyle, this swirl of sand, 5 miles long by 1 1/2 miles wide, is the subject of this lucid history, which begins 4,000 years ago and continues through its discovery by Ponce de Leon, its use as a military and lighthouse reservation, the Seminole Wars, shipwreck salvaging, and its present function as public parkland and residential and high-rise condominium village. On Cape Florida, Key Biscayne's southern end, the Cape Florida Lighthouse, newly restored, stands watch as it has for over 170 years. Drawing from original documents, including many letters and pictures saved by descendants of settlers and lighthouse keepers, Key Biscayne offers a vivid portrait of this compelling Florida island.
212 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 27, 2017
This is the story of the island of Key Biscayne near Miami, including but not limited to the Cape Florida Lighthouse. Now divided into Crandon Park, the Village of Key Biscayne, and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, the island has a history not unlike much of Florida: early natives, hurricanes, agriculture, land booms and busts, grand dreams and schemes, colorful characters, and a modern condition that would seem unrecognizable to the pioneer arrivals less than two centuries ago.
Blank (who previously wrote several books under her maiden name, Joan Gill) put a remarkable amount of research into this book, including primary sources from the National Archives and private documents still in the hands of the descendants of early figures in Key Biscayne's history. The book goes up through the aftereffects of Hurricane Andrew. There are many good photos and maps, and the writing is generally decent. Land ownership on the island was a frequent legal battle and the books weaves through the issues without getting bogged down in legal details. I was pleased to see the lighthouse's use as a Coast Signal Station mentioned (along with a very nice illustration of the station in service). I learned a number of surprising facts about the island's history, particular some of the more absurd decisions and ideas from the 20th century.
Surprisingly, despite the research done, the book lacks footnotes or endnotes, only providing a biography and biographical essay. There are a few small but odd mistakes: for example, TOPOGs is capitalized (it is a nickname, not an acronym, and should rendered as Topogs or topogs) and "distruction" slipped through the spellchecker. In a larger editorial sense, the narrative jumps around a bit too much for my liking. Each chapter is broken up into sections (with headers) and sometimes these feel very tangential - nature topics in particular. Post-1950 events in particular seem to be largely an afterthought, with Bill Baggs (the state park's namesake) getting only a passing mention and the state park getting less coverage that I would think it deserves (the inclusion of the post-Andrew ecological revitalization is an important and much appreciated inclusion).
While I think this book could have benefited from citations, more length, and more editorial polishing, this is still a good history of Key Biscayne that holds up two decades after it's publication. I think any reader interested in Florida history would find this book worthwhile. Lighthouse buffs who appreciate lighthouses as part of a big picture will I think also enjoy it. Some parallels can be drawn by the reader with certain other island lighthouses like Egmont Key, FL and Bald Head Island, NC. (I would rank this clearly ahead of Egmont Key: A History and clearly behind The Story of Cape Fear and Bald Head Island.)
Blank (who previously wrote several books under her maiden name, Joan Gill) put a remarkable amount of research into this book, including primary sources from the National Archives and private documents still in the hands of the descendants of early figures in Key Biscayne's history. The book goes up through the aftereffects of Hurricane Andrew. There are many good photos and maps, and the writing is generally decent. Land ownership on the island was a frequent legal battle and the books weaves through the issues without getting bogged down in legal details. I was pleased to see the lighthouse's use as a Coast Signal Station mentioned (along with a very nice illustration of the station in service). I learned a number of surprising facts about the island's history, particular some of the more absurd decisions and ideas from the 20th century.
Surprisingly, despite the research done, the book lacks footnotes or endnotes, only providing a biography and biographical essay. There are a few small but odd mistakes: for example, TOPOGs is capitalized (it is a nickname, not an acronym, and should rendered as Topogs or topogs) and "distruction" slipped through the spellchecker. In a larger editorial sense, the narrative jumps around a bit too much for my liking. Each chapter is broken up into sections (with headers) and sometimes these feel very tangential - nature topics in particular. Post-1950 events in particular seem to be largely an afterthought, with Bill Baggs (the state park's namesake) getting only a passing mention and the state park getting less coverage that I would think it deserves (the inclusion of the post-Andrew ecological revitalization is an important and much appreciated inclusion).
While I think this book could have benefited from citations, more length, and more editorial polishing, this is still a good history of Key Biscayne that holds up two decades after it's publication. I think any reader interested in Florida history would find this book worthwhile. Lighthouse buffs who appreciate lighthouses as part of a big picture will I think also enjoy it. Some parallels can be drawn by the reader with certain other island lighthouses like Egmont Key, FL and Bald Head Island, NC. (I would rank this clearly ahead of Egmont Key: A History and clearly behind The Story of Cape Fear and Bald Head Island.)
August 11, 2014
Excellent history of Cape Florida lighthouse and Key Biscayne Island, beginning with the native tribes and the changing political and historical stories and events. As history, weather, indians , invasions of europeans and fight for the island,changed its course through the years to modern times. A history of the destruction of the native plants and animals to restoration of protected estuaries and return of the native habitats. Fascinating read, well researched.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews