HomeMy Public PortalAboutK. B.tifKEY BISCAYNE
HERITAGE TRAIL
Qy' BiscaS°
1'LoRIDN
'G.PE
SponsStib,
SELF GUIDED TOUR
FROM BEAR CUT TO CAPE FLORIDA
FROM OCEAN TO BAY
CRANDON P
REAL" AND B AY LOOPS . ROT JND
BEAR CUT
Named for the Florida Black Bear (( li sus anici ii 171110 /71/ Janus),
Bear Cul is an luslouft plaJ_c name tlaitui�0 hack lo [I 33 heal
Cut was described in 1772 as the not lhei n boundai v of the island
of Key 1315 00110, and as bCln0 "tlurl.ecil hut deep and 0) deal lkat
you nughl sec to pick a sivpenee al the bottom „ Beal t ul Jhanncl
runs between Lke .Atlantic L1vcan and 131p1-ayne I3ay,
separahn�� icy Biscayne Irom Virginia Key
Before Euu1pcan diseoveuy, the Tcqucsta
people lived on the sand island, enjoy-
P t
-
ing its Led) Vyalei and abundant
marine re50n,ee, 1'he11 I,sking vil-
lages stretched luau 13001 Cut south
m1les to Cape Ch,11da
BIRD PRESERVES Pelicon Point
Pelican Picserve hes on the nor-thwestel n shore u1 Bear Cut
langrovc area= are ttadihonal habitats 101 the Brown Pelican
(Palrcanus 0cclde,ltl15), an anoicnt species of 6101 with a hn_,e bill
and a wing span that can reach 90 Inches Thee dive for fish floral
heights of 30 feet and fly in V- iorinabon Bird Island Roolceiy is
an offshore protected area for aquatic bads displaced by twentieth
century clearing and filling of ancient habitats It can be seen from
Crandon Park Manna Ibis Preserve offers sanctuary in natural ham-
mocks for endangered and thucatened sea bads including ibis,
herons, and spoonbills.
COAST SURVEY MONUMENT • 1855
At the northern and southern ends of the island, granite markers
established an important base lire winch U S Coast Surveyors used
to chart and map all reefs and keys between Key Biscayne and Key
West, and the adjoining mainland of Flonda. For the first time,
accurate maps and charts of the region became available The name
of the Supenntendent of the U S Survey, A D Bacbe, appears on
the 1855 nunnuucnl 111 the present -dap golf course
BANYAN TREES (Rcus benghalensis)
The Banyan or fig trees were first introduced to Key Biscayne around
1912 by WJ. Matheson as markers to define the comers of cultivated
fields. The Banyan is native to India and Africa and is often less
famous for its fruit than for its multiple trunks Pruned by Hurricane
Andrew in 1992, specimen trees at the Crandon Park Overview
continue to grow in circumference, extending umbrella -like crowns
over their unique supporting pillars.
VILLAGE Of
BEACH AND BAY 1,00
COCONUT PLANTATION • Established 1903
The largest coconut plantation in the continental U S occupied
the noithern Lwo-thuds 01 the island Owned and operated be
the WI 1lheson family, the sell-,nihclent tom [111,1111[y evolved
around the big plantation barn d1t stood 80 tea east of this �iLc
The barn housed mules, wagons, and [aun tools, and later trucks,
[arm equipment and a machine shop Belpre mechanization
windmills pumped well water to tie tall wtei Lowe Between the
ocean and present-day Luanc on Boulevard, , superintendents and
workers, including gardeners, farm hands, Lee keepers, and voik
boat captains lived in frame cottages east of We barn
FIRST GENERAL STORE • circa 1916
The first plantation commissary was opened so that workers and their
families could supplement locally grown vegetables, fruits, sea food,
and game with staples and merchandise Ice was brought from the
mainland three times a week. The Dade County Pine structure was
destroyed in the 1926 hurricane.
ONE -ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE
4 Key Biscayne's first classes were held in a one -room school house,
circa 1912, built of local Dade County Pine The enjoyable
oceanside location was lost when a big storm eroded the sand
x foundation in the 1920s, and the school house washed out to sea.
In the 1950s, Key Biscayne Elementary School was built on the
present site.
MARITIME HAMMOCK HABITAT
Native maritime hammocks are primary ecosystems of sandy
barrier islands that exist at higher elevations inland of the ocean
beach and dunes This restoration project, planted with tropical
ms,
shrubs
ical
f the
l
hardwoods,predl predominate uplandov vegetation. The court and
replicatesP P g rtY
acts as a "seed bank" where local and migratory birds and wildlife
can feed and redistribute these specimens throughout the region.
I.,
144 I it CO('ORTT T
1n 1921, the Malay Dwart Pain (golden, yellow and guecn) was
introduced to tl S soil on Key Biscayne, and proed the most
disease resistant to lethal yellowing and "coconut blight" 10 the
1970s Crossed with the Panama Tall to create the hybrid
Maypan, it became the coconut palm of choice in the 1990s
WITNESS TREES (Bombacaceae family)
The 80 foot tall Kapok (Ceiba pentand1a) from a Central
American rain forest was designated the Florida Champion
Kapok by the Florida Division of Forestry in 1995 In 1915,
the sacred African Baobab (rlcicznsoma digitata) (located
approximately 60 feet to the west, abutting Fernwood Drive),
known as one of the world's longest hying trees, was first
introduced to the U S at Key Biscayne In 1995, it was
listed on the Florida Champion Tree Registry
TROPICAL N URSERY- • 1912-193Os
Matheson's private island was a significant tropical plant
introduction facility for joint ventures with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Coconut varieties and many
fruit trees and flowering plants were first tested on Key
Biscayne, as reported by botanists David Fairchild and
John Kunkel Small. Several specimen trees, planted as early
as 1915, from South and Central America, Africa and the
Pacific Basin, are survivors of the devastating hurricanes
of 1926 and 1992.
KEY BISCAYNE
HERITAGE TRAIL
SELF GUIDED TOUR
FROM BEAR CUT TO CAPE FLORIDA
FROM OCEAN TO BAY
.1 The hopi.al coconut palm (Cocos „nic,/e)a)
{' prospered on the island since 1568 or earhei
The coconut sprout, a new tree starting hom its
"seed", symbolizing rebirth and renewal m the
tropics, is the logo of the Key Biscayne
_ _ Heritage Trail.
Thanks to Jim King, Meho-Dace Crandon Pain, Lee Vrbloeh, 13,11 Bangs Cape.
Florida State Recreation Area, Robert S Can, Metro -Dade Hrstor,c Reservation
Drv,sion, V,clzr Cole, Florida Bureau of H,stonc Preser,at,on, Pineapple Press,
publisher of Key Biscayne., A Histo, a of 1,m,n s Topical Island and the rape Florda
Lighthouse, 100, artist Kathy Bioun Hardie (1928-1097), artist Lacrrcnce Door,, an
VILLAGE OF KEY BISCAYNE
2002 VILLAGE COUNCIL
Joe 1 Pasco, Mayor
Robert (D1dakorr sly, A',ce ]'Iayoi
Sort Bass
Martha Fernandez - Leon 13,nucck
Alan H Fern
Mortimer Fried
James L Peters
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIALS
C Samuel Kissinger, I 'rl/c,yc ,eta uayc,
Concb,ta H Alvarez, Village 01011
Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza & Guedes, PA , V,]la c' nl ttoureu
HERITAGE TRAIL DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Project Manager. James D DeCocq, Ass/stout to the Village Manage,
Design Coordinator James D DeCocy and European Grapl cs
Historic Consultant Joan Cull Blank, Aatho, and 11rstara,,
DESCRIPTIONS OF HISTORIC SITES
by Joan Cull Blank., .'rutbol of 1yeLJ Biscayne,
A Histo, a of ILan„'s T,opnal Island and the Cape Flo„ da Lighthouse, 1000
project a„d p„hhratacn have I,«„ f,,,arc-rd ,o part ,,,tb lcstc,,c pir:r„-.,tag,, grant a::,,taaa p„„ Jdrd
by the 13,,,raa of H,_to,oc Pie.er,abon, D,vcr,a of H,,t,,,,cal Rese,acrs, Flo„da Depa,n»r„t of Stair,
a _lied b, for H, tr„a R,sr,"an,,,, 1d,,,,,15 000001 H ,,r,c., for «,,,tc,,t_ and „p,,,a,,,= , , nt
aulj reflect thin V1,11, and opm,ovs „f the Fl,„cda Depa,trsrst of State, ao» does till ",rage cl nadr
„alms ,,, p,od,a- c,,d„„ra,r0t,,, ,rcomm,odataa, by for Flol,da Drpa,t or„t „f
State
CALUSA PLAYHOUSE • 1917 Calusa Pare
[See Workers' Dormitory]
-WEST POINT MANGROVE PRESERVE Cahsa Park
An ancient mangrove forest nuns the west side of the island. The
mangroves of the tropics, called the Walking Tree" by native Flondians,
grow on long-legged roots, and ate responsible for shoring up and
enlalguxg the western edge of barrier islands Over the centuries, the
historical "overflowed land" along Biscayne Bay has been an important
estuary fox marine creatures and a refuge for native wildlife
TEQUESTA INDIAN SITE • 1000-1500 AD.
On Key Biscayne's ancient beach ridges and relic sand dunes,
Tequesta Indians built dwellings prior to the arrival of Juan Ponce
de Leon in 1513. On this site, one of several fishing camps was
discovered by archeologists in 1992, other village and midden
sites run the length of the Boulevard median, protected in the
Archeological Preservation Zone
SCHOOL TEACHER'S COTTAGE • 1918
One of two remaining Nlatlieson Plantation structures from the
coconut plantation, the Cottage is on the Dade County Register of
Historic Places
BARRIER ISLAND ECOSYSIEMS
Histoncal coastal hammocks, coast scrub, beach dunes and wetlands are
part of the inter-i elated ecological systems of barrier islands There
are specimens and remnants of ancient hardwood and mangrove
hammocks, paten glades, beach vegetation and wetlands. These habitats
attract diverse native and migratory avian, terrestrial and marme am-
mals A sea turtle egg hatchery is located on the nearby ocean beach.
The trail winds through existing and restored biological communities
FOSSIL REEF: OVERLOOK Prehistoric
A protected fossil reef lies close to shore. Carbon dated to about 60
A.D, scientists describe the reef as "Key Biscayne's Petrified Forest",
made of ancient roots of the black mangrove (Auicennia germinans).
The 4.5 acre rock reef is home to small marine animals and plants
found m intertidal zones It is the oldest natural land (or water) mark
on this barner island; a significant geological resource first noted in
1850, but not scientifically investigated until one -hundred years later.
CRANDON GARDENS
Originally a zoological park, Crandon Gardens is presently under
restoration as an historical botanical garden.
MATHESON DONOR MARKER
The Matheson family is honored for their gift of land in 1940
establishing Crandon Park, opened to the public in 1947.
1 AND BAY L 00
FLORIDA,
ORiDA
POUND 't HE ,
Cape 1=11„Ida, one of Lhe oldest place-minc. 111 the Nell' WC/14d,
1<n 1)v the soul), end of Key lRrcavne Noted since the 1820,
lol Its „ Li opual ,tomplevI1111", its lick ma111ie and land tesoulces
-llppoiLed 1isliing and hunting 1 Wages Ill the preIlstoilt_
I-egnesta people, long helolc Juan Ponce de Leon dlslov'eled
the Island 111 15I 3 The IIIsL tccoicla l seLLlei 111 South Honda,
recho 0ornclls, who )\a: h1,I11 ou Lhe Island 01 Minot ca,
u111n'aLcd find ant lent bad 1n 1805 \lary Ann Dav1s 01 St
Auustinu bought 175 aeles Isom Solnells and sold 3 acres Lo
the l j IS Ooveinmcnt Owned ,v the State of Florida the Cape
hlollda Lighthouse, hudL to 1825, restored 1n 1995, is South
Floiida's 1)Idet landmaid and on the National Reglstei 1)1
i I1,to1w Places
.2UPO 18,6
I bI, t_ast iron ttuipola, iaplaced In 1968, was Installed o11 the
Cape Florida LI0hLhouse lay It S I opotto aphical Engineer, LL
(later Ceuclal) cleol,,e C1 Meade „ho eleN,ated Lhe bncl: Lower
((nip -tally built in 1825) 11rnn 55 to 95 led ur 1855
NATURE
Following the footprints of the ancient Tequesta, the Bay I' rail
leads Lb lough native plant, g)owth lminding maritime hammocks,
mangroves and wetlands After the 1992 devastation of
Hurricane Andrew, a late twentieth century ecological restoration
attempted to re-establish earlier biological communities at the
Cape and protect natural resources essential for subtropical
barrier island ecology (Alt. Beach Trail leads through coastal
hammocks and over beach vegetation to sandy shore )
NO NAME HARBOR
No Name Harbor has served as a refuge for 'mates, smugglers,
and sailors, manatee and dolphin, fishes and tropical birds, and
was a major 0)ol:ely and lccchns alca 1n the 1800s for flamingo,
egrets, herons, ib1s, and other wildlife As native vegetation and "=`'P
wetlands are restored, previously destroyed by developers who
cleared and filled the tract during the 1950 and by Hurricane
Andrew in 1996, the animal population is returning.
LANDING DOCK
A wooden landing was built at this site where early settlers
docked boats, unloaded supplies, fished, crabbed and explored
the bayside during the 1890s. Present day fishing platforms
serve as reminders of the island's maritime heritage
1.) ED TO OF a ,a_ H_'
BEAR CUT TO CAPE FLORIDA
AjtT i'fi p^;',/
MT BLAND C11 KEY BISCAYNE
Ke1 131107110, the ,ollt110111—most hai I Iel island 1 1) the I t111ted 8tatm,
is 5 miles long, and ,es al latitude 25 30 N, lon0,ltude 80 09-,
111e Hentage I lad Is Ina1110311on1 1110 13001 C ul vNate))-\av to the
Cape FIo1Ida L10hthon,e It I)111)) 0111)0 paths of pic,ld�ol lc ind,ans,
early planters and settler- Sites, nlall.ted by the Coconut Sploll1 logo,
ale cle>4111)cd on chi-Iclent, parts of the to ,),,,vide
guide to those walking, �yl.11lh�, ell 11111110 -the tout 1,1111w_ sheets,
siclew11 l:�, tiad,, and bead, paths
KEY BISC. VNE TIME LINE
• Key Blscallne eniclges f oni the Atlantic (*eon, 2000 13 C
• 7eq11esta Indians b11I1d fishing tillages 01) Isla171, 01)017 1200 ,1 I)
• luau POI7cC c/7ej Loon cI/si,)t 0ls I\c'tl A=cil7117e 101 $,11)117, 15 15
• Pedro For ire&ls becomes the first lecerc7ed sc//itln /17 6117th l 70/1170, 1S05
• Cape i-lolldal Lighthouse Is 6/1)7!1 617 1170 11 Sj Cote? 11171,711t, 1323
• Seminole. 111di711s attack ,11117 set fire to lighthouse 71111111)
500ond Serr1010Ie 11 al, 1830
• "Toren of Key Blscayell"lslcl is laid out by Mar 8nn
Davis f 7177117, 7839
• Lighthouse stathon Is site of nuhtoui fort o;d hospital 1838 to 1821
• Island is headquarteis foi t,1 S Coast 8u1 bey Tr langulatlon,
1849-1855
• Northern planters set out 63,000 coconut spiollts along?
beachfrort, 1880s
• IJ Matheson establishes coconut plantation and tropical
agriculture, 1908
• Matheson heirs give land to Dade County for Cando Park, 1940.
• Rickenbacker Causeway makes island accessible by automobile, 1947
• Residential -resort community starts as pail of 11nA1001porilted
Dade County, 1951.
• Cape Florida State Park opens at south end of island, 1967
• 717e Village of Key Biscayne incorporates, 1991
• Hurricane Andrew strikes Key Biscayne, southern -most barrier
island, 1992.
• Major ecological restorations are launched 1993.
• Cape Florida Lighthouse, oldest in South Florida, restored, 1996.
FRESH WATER HABITATS
Traditional habitats attracting human, plant, and animal
communities, freshwater ponds and springs are part of Key
Biscayne's historic and environmental heritage In 1513, Juan
Ponce de Leon discovered Key Biscayne springs while seeking
the legendary Fountain of Youth. Archeological investigations
verify human habitats near freshwater sources on the island
since around 1200 A D
NASSAU STREET
North of the barn, Nassau Street (present-day E. Heather
Drive) was lined with coconut trees and a row of white frame
cottages built for black Bahamian families who sailed across
the Gulf Stream during the first part of the twentieth century
to work on the Matheson coconut plantation
WORKERS' DORMITORY • circa 1917
The dormitory housed single workmen, many from the
Bahamas, who shared communal patch gardens and outdoor
cooking grills in the black community on the Matheson
plantation Operations stopped in the 1940s, and later the
Dade County Pine structure was relocated to Calusa Park,
renamed the Calusa Playhouse, and listed on the Dade
County Register of Historic Places.
HURRICANE HOUSE • 1927
Five -hundred yards from the ocean, Hurricane House was
built as a shelter from storms. Anchored to 16 foot pilings,
the formidable two-story reinforced concrete structure was built
after the 1926 hurricane threatened die lives of plantation
workers and their families. In 1951, Hurricane House was
dynamited and the site paved
BEACH OVERLOOK
Earliest footprints in the sand were made by the Tequesta
Indians who lived and fished on the island before Juan
Ponce de Leon's ships sailed into view in the Sprang of 1513.
Offshore, in the Gulf Stream, cargo and cruise ships, sailing
and motor vessels, can be seen following the same course as
galleons, clippers and cutters of yesteryear.
ISLAND POND
"There is good water on Biskayno Island" — Bernard Romans,
1775, Royal British Surveyor General. Early maps marked
wells, lowland ponds and wetland bogs offering fresh water to
sailors and travelers The Lake Park pond is a late twentieth
century replica of an early landscape feature.
HACIENDA CANAL AND BASIN • 1915
An early landing- for Matheson work boats, the canal was di edged from
bay to interior to transport plantation goods Tropical fruits, plants,
Hacienda Honey, and coconuts were shipped to local and northern
markets Wharves, sheds, and the "Coconut Find: rig House" were
demolished m the early 1950s, leaving only a remnant basin
WINTER WHI1'EHOUSE • 1969-1974
When Rickard 14 Nixon was President of the United States, he
chose a compound overlooking the historic waters of Biscayne Bay
for his Winter Whitehouse, which focused national and international
attention on Miami's tropical island
FLAMINGO ISLAND
The pink flamingo vanished from Florida in the ea] ly twentieth cen-
tury, hunted to extinction for its prized flesh and plumage
In 1927-28, Hugh Matheson sailed to an Andros Island sanctuary
in the Bahamas and brought a colony back: to Kev Biscayne
HURRICANE HARBOR
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries pirates, smugglers and
sailors sought safety m this historic cove In the Roaring Twenties,
yachts belonging to the Cannegres, A'anderhrlts, 1ellons, and others
visited the ]harbor as guests of the Matheson family at 1"Iashta House,
their grand mansion southwest of the harbor entrance
PINES CANAL • circa 1917
Dredged and built by WI Matheson for easy passage between the
Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, visiting yachtsmen and island
guests used this cross -island canal, named for the exotic Austiaban
pine (Casuarina eqursettfolia). The canal is the present day boundary
between Bill Baggs State Paris and the village of Key Biscayne
EASTERN FLYWAY
The island is histoncally a stoppmng place for nugratory birds following
the Eastern Flyway between North and South America Over the
years, fresh water springs, ponds and lush native growth attracted
seasonal birds and a resident avian population In 1832, ornithol-
ogist John James Audubon reported sighting a half dozen species
off Cape Plonda
DAVIS PARK. 1893-1914
In 1893, Waters Smith Davis of Texas, who inherited Cape Florida,
surveyed the land and built Cape House for his family, the island's
first private water front home. Cape House stood 400 feet south of
this site and was designed by Commodore Ralph Monroe Fields
were cleated for pineapple and coconut cultivation A two-story
wooden barn with a loft sheltered livestock and farming equipment
A caretaker's cottage was built for Israel Lafayette Jones and 111S
Bahaman bride, Moselle, who gave birth to the island's first
known black children
❑ HISTORIC COMPLEX
Entrance free; scheduled tours:
KEEPER'S CC/ITAGE
First occupied by John Dubose, a former Navy Captain appointed
to the lighthouse keeper's post by President John Qurncey Adams.
Dubose moved his large family into the brick cottage in December,
1825, and was the first in a succession of lighthouse keepers
through 1878. Several times rebuilt and relocated, the cottage is a
replica built after the State Park opened in 1967. Renovated as a
museum with period furnishings, its cook house is redesigned as a
mini-theatei where videos of lighthouse history are shown.
CAPE FLORIDA LIGHTHOUSE • 1825
The 95 foot tall white back lighthouse is the focal point of the
historic lighthouse compound where
the original tower was built in
1825 It was rebuilt following
the Second Seminole War when
warriors attacked and set fire to it
and the Keeper's Cottage. The
lighthouse, elevated 30 feet to its
present height in 1856 by Lt
(later General) George G
Meade, rises 95 feet A
panoramic view of
surrounding waters,
islands, and Keys
awaits those who
climb the 109 steps
up the cncular iron
stairway to the watch
room at the top of
South Florida's oldest
landmark, overlooking
the Gulf Stream and
Biscayne Bay
DIRECTIONS TO KEY BISCAYNE HERITAGE TRAIL
Key Biscayne, an off -shore island, is reached from Miami by the
Rickenbacker Causeway which spans Biscayne Bay, A!ngima Key, and
Bear Cut waterway The causeway becomes Crandon Boulevard, a State
Histonc Highway, leading to the \Tillage of Key Biscayne that lies between
Crandon Park to the north, and Cape Florida State Park to the south
The Key Biscayne Heritage Trail begins on the highway, ocean and
bay loops join with other recreational trails
CRANDON PARK:
4000 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Hours. 8 AM — Sunset • Pane Office (305)361-5421
Parking 1 ee $4 00/
car - S6 00/bus • Bike and Pedest tan Tiails
VILLAGE OF KEY BISCAYNE:
88 West McIntyre Street, Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Manager's Office (305)365-5514
-4 BILL BAGGS CAPE FLORIDA STATE RECREATION AREA:
1200 So Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Hours 8 AM — Sunset • Park Office (305)361-8779
Parking Fee $2 00 (1 in vehicle) / $4 00 (up to 8 in vehicle)
Lighthouse and Cottage Complex Free Tours "Th - Mon"