Another Side, Key West, FL: Finding Rich Black History in 'Bahama Village' 🦜

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Another Side of Key West? Its Rich Black History, Key West’s 'Bahama Village' dates back centuries. Initiatives and exhibits help spotlight the history. AFAR, June 18, 2024. - Ed.
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Silky white-sand beaches, bright cottages, Key lime pie: About 4 miles long & 1 mile wide, Key West is distinctive, drawing visitors for both its distance to and from the US. Though Miami is only a 4-hr drive away, the cities are divided less by geographical distance & more by ideology. Key West is a small city in its own world. Initially the Spanish island of Cayo Hueso, Key West is less than 100 miles from Cuba.

The US took possession of Florida in the early 1820s, and the U.S. Navy raised the American flag over Key West in 1821.

Four men began to develop the city, and by the 1830s, Key West was the most affluent in the country. During the Civil War, Key West remained part of the Union even after FL seceded, thanks to its Naval base. After the war, fishing and other maritime activities kept the city afloat. Robt. Kerstein, a prof. of govt. at the Univ. of Tampa, points to the city’s history as a military town, its rail connections, and the fact that the city fought against large cruise ships coming to port to keep its eclectic vibe.

🌴 Watch. Bahama Village in Key West: historic, lively and charming. (4 mins). Petronia Street, cottages, gardens, Blue Heaven restaurant, shops, art, markets and music.

“Key West is much more laid-back, more unique, more eccentric [than Orlando or Miami]—that’s what they sold to a large extent; that [they were] not a generic tourist destination,” says Kerstein, author of Key West on the Edge. This is the Key West many people know. But for Clayton Lopez, the Key West city commissioner since 2005, more needs to be done to tell the story of its lesser-known Black history, which, he argues, is a story of America at large. Born and raised in the city’s Bahama Village neighborhood, Lopez—a 4th-gen Key Wester—has a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of Key West’s history.

“Some of the most important Black history in the US began or is connected to Key West,” he says. "There is no Key West as a whole without Bahama Village"- Clayton Lopez

Located toward the SW end of Key West, the historic neighborhood of Bahama Village spans 16 blocks between Louisa and Southard Sts. An arched entrance at Petronia St. serves as an entry to the neighborhood. During Lopez’s childhood, Bahama Village was a place where everyone knew one another. Bahamians began to settle in on Key West in the 1800s, primarily for fishing and other maritime jobs. Most immigrants chose to live close to the waterfront (giving Bahama Village its name).. More Black history ingrained throughout Key West: Frederick Douglass attended church in the city, and Black men from Key West signed up to fight for the Union during the Civil War...
https://www.afar.com/magazine/in-key-west-finding-black-history-in-bahama-village

- Key West, Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West

- Blue Heaven Restaurant, Bahama Village🍹