There was a time, historians say, when trucks could be seen hauling piles of precious coral out of the Florida Keys, where one of the most productive coral reefs spans Biscayne National Park off Miami to the Dry Tortugas west of Key West. That began to change in December 1963, when John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was established as a means of preserving the reef. Pennekamp Park is now part of the much more expansive Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. On Saturday, Dec. 11, admission to the park is free as it celebrates its 50th anniversary with special exhibits and activities. It's named for the late John Pennekamp, a former Miami newspaper editor who helped secure the land for it. Most of its sites, however, are beneath the sea. They include:
~ The bronze Christ of the Deep statue, a replica of Italy's Christ of the Abyss that was an Italian dive group's gift to the Underwater Society of America and the society's gift to the park.
~ The City of Washington, a 360-foot passenger and cargo vessel that survived the 1898 Havana Harbor explosion of the battleship USS Maine and, years later, grounded on the coral reef and sank.
~ The 510-foot landing ship dock, Spiegel Grove, which landed on its side after being intentionally scuttled in 2002 and was then found righted after Hurricane Dennis passed through in 2005.
About Historic Walking Guides: Florida Keys
Historic Walking Guides: Florida Keys takes readers back in time as they travel off the beaten path from the edge of Florida's mainland to Key West. In Key West, readers can embark upon a series of historic walking tours, each centered around themes such as treasure hunting, commercial fishing, literary luminaries and, of course, two of the best known of all -- Ernest Hemingway and Jimmy Buffett. Historic Walking Guides: Florida Keys is available in print through Destinworld Publishing and Amazon.com. It's expected to be in digital format by January.
