Ghosts

Hanging Tree
Captain Tony's Saloon
January 15, 2008

We had pre-arranged a Jimmy Buffet walking tour before we left home. We met our tour guides at Captain Tony's Saloon on Greene Street, Key West. We arrived before they did so had a chance to look around the saloon. The first thing that strikes you about the bar is the decor. Almost every conceivable surface is covered with business cards! My husband promptly added his to the collection. The second notable is a pirate skeleton behind the bar, eerily greeting patrons. The third notable is the tree trunk but this is easy to pass by as part of the decor as it could easily be camouflage for building support. This bar was so rustic looking I just had to check it out. The main floor bar has a rough paved stone flooring. It opens onto Greene Street. To the left of the main floor is a smaller room sporting rock walls, a brick fireplace with glass bottle ends showing, a pool table and a tombstone laid in the floor are the features. Next to it furthest away from the road is another small room about two feet lower than the main level, rimmed with rock walls and housing a pool table.

This bar has a rich history including being the oldest bar in Key West, the first morgue, the original Sloppy Joe's for Ernest Hemingway. Apparently because of a rent increase dispute the bar owner at that time (Josie Russell) moved the entire bar and fixtures to it's third and final location of the current Sloppy Joe's. There are still graves (16 bodies) under the floors. What is more interesting is the hanging tree that was the city's hanging tree for criminals and pirates. Captain Tony's Saloon is built around the old hanging and on top of the old morgue! Seventy-five people were hanged from the tree that. The saloon is reported to be haunted by . Captain Tony (Captain Tony Tarracino) placed bottles filled with holy water to bring peace to the haunting spirits. Rumour quotes him as saying he often stayed by himself in the saloon but was never alone. Orbs and apparitions mysteriously appear in photos taken in and around the saloon. I took nine photos inside the saloon and unfortunately did not capture any orbs however there is what could be a ghostly apparition in one photo. It looks surprising similar to a photo that reports to show the ghost of lady in the blue dress.

The unique decor of the saloon originated by folks trying to get messages to Captain Tony while he was out on his boat so they hung the messages on the door. When he arrived back he would get in touch with those folk. The practice was seen as being unsightly and a fire hazard so Captain Tony told them to hang the notices inside the saloon instead of on the door. It caught on so now the decor is business cards galore along with anything else that can be pinned to the walls or ceiling including feminine garments. This really is a must visit saloon in Key West!

Scenic Tour

Southernmost Point Marker
January 16, 2008

The total number of pictures taken during our entire vacation was 640 so I have plenty for scapbooking. We loaded up on sunscreen, doned on our hats then took a scenic tour of Key West on the scooter stopping to take many pictures and check out the many interesting shops. The sun was bright sending warm kisses over our bare skin. What a treat for us to be wearing shorts and sandals this time of year! Just to give you a visual, my husband has this classic summer look of Hawaiian shirt paired with short that sometimes don't match the shirt, Birkenstock sandals and straw hat. This is the way he looks from the time the snow melts until the snow flies with the exception of special events like weddings or funerals or when golfing where the sandals are replaced by golf shoes. He has a closet full of these kind of shirts and well over a couple of dozen straw hats in various shapes and colours. His straw hat of choice for the trip was similar to this one but turned up at the back. I was dressed in striped capri, a sleeveless shell topped with a 3/4 sleeve blouse, sandals and sun visor. We likely looked rather funny on the bright red scooter as my husband is quite tall so there wasn't a lot of room on the scooter for me. And I don't think anyone thought we were tourists either with the camera constantly ready to snap a shot ;)

We toured the entire perimeter of the island which is about 2 miles by 4 miles. There was a light breeze that grew stronger as we neared the southernmost point of the continental United States. It's only 90 miles from Cuba closer that I thought. By the time we reached the point my husband hat had to be held in place then finally removed. The wind was quite strong! To the right of the fence, not show is the Naval Air Station Key West (NASKW). The air base is located within a National Marine Sanctuary and as such a large component is integration with the environmental concerns of the Florida Keys eco-system. We arrived back at Captain Tony's Saloon in time to meet with our tour guides for a walking tour highlighting Jimmy Buffet.

Captain Tony's Saloon is a rather interesting place, one to be expanded up on in tomorrow's entry so please check back.