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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"