Old Post Office & Customs House, Key West

     

After a pretty cool night where the temperature got down to about 19 degrees below 80 which is actually 61 degrees, the sun came out and the winds died down, so we decided to head into Key West and visit the Customs House down on Front St.  It's just a short drive into town, and we found a very convenient parking spot over by the USS Ingham and the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.  From there, it's just a short walk through the Truman Complex.  While passing through the Truman Complex, we saw flags flying in front of what's referred to as the Harry S. Truman Little White House.
     The house was originally built in 1890, and was the officer's quarters on the original naval base.  In 1911, the house was converted into a single family dwelling for the base commander, and was first visited by President Howard Taft in 1912.  In November 1946, President Truman visiting Key West on the advice of his doctor, stayed at this residence.  Throughout his Presidency, he spent 175 days visiting and it soon became known as the Little White House, Key West, Fl.  Stories run rampant around Key West of President Truman walking around the local area.  Stories persist how he enjoyed walking across town to the public beach to go swimming.   Other presidents who have used the Little White House include, Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton.  In January 1987, the house was deeded to the State of Florida.

There is a guided tour of the residence, but since we were destined to the Customs House, we made a quick pass through the free exhibit near the gift shop.  Inside we found a brief history of events at the property, and viewed a display of White House Christmas decorations which are sold to help maintain the building.
     A short walk from there put us down on Front Street and in front of the Old Post Office and Customs House, Key West.  Today the Customs House serves as the Key West Museum of Art and History, and currently is displaying artifacts and drawings pertaining to Ernest Hemingway.

The building was completed in 1891 and served as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida until 1932.  In 2011, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the railroad's arrival in Key West in 1912, a permanent exhibit of the Flagler railroad was opened.  As we started up the the magnificent wooden stairs, we were treated to 59 original pen and ink drawings by Guy Harvey.  The sketches follow the story line of Hemingway's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "The Old Man and the Sea".  The sketches are displayed chronologically to follow Hemingway's narrative.  The museum also featured a life size bronze Ernest Hemingway in Key West statue, as well as a pair of his boxing gloves.

 
The wood floors, banisters and door casings of the museum were renovated by the Florida Historical Society after the building had been abandoned for nearly 25 years.  The upstairs courtroom, which now holds a display of the early railroad years, must have been a magnificent room.  The window and door casings remind me of numerous federal buildings I've visited over the years. The stairways and the floors are all wood and have been completely restored.

Even the bathroom had the familiar white/black tile floors that seem to be common with older federal buildings.  I remember the bathrooms in the Port of Entry Building in Rouses Point, NY, which is now registered as a National Historic site, has similar tile.
     There are several life-size statues around the museum, which I really can't comment on.  They were created by John Seward Johnson II, grandson of the Johnson of talcum powder fame.  They are a little unusual to say the least, and I believe there are statues in San Diego down near the waterfront from the same artist.

 I have to wait till I get out there to verify that story.
     We have 1 more week here at Bluewater Key, and as Debbie says, "If you're lucky enough to be at Key West, you're lucky enough!"  Pretty much sums it up.  We keep track of our friends up north working there way through the winter storms.  We really are rooting for them.  We certainly enjoy sipping our cocktails in front of the tiki hut and getting the grill ready for a nice steak.  We look forward to Ben calling on his way home from work.  Debbie found Jamo a new friend who was on a sailboat in KW harbor the other day.  He looked like he was having a pretty good time watching the tourists walk by.  I wonder if he's been taught to pee while underway?  That would be a neat trick.