The History of Florida (85 page)

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The Maritime Heritage of Florida · 405

twisted, jumbled pieces on the ocean bottom,
Lofthus
became an Underwa-

ter Archaeological Preserve in 2003. Similarly, the merchant ship
Catharine

wrecked in 1894 while attempting to enter Pensacola harbor to take on a

load of lumber.

Other lumber vessels were abandoned when they reached the end of

their useful life. In the Blackwater River, Shield’s Cove is a historic ship

graveyard. This maritime “junkyard” contains the sunken remains of ships

and boats that were no longer useful or profitable for their owners. Four

wooden-hulled lumber ships lie side by side where they were abandoned in

the 1930s.
Palafox,
George
T.
Locke,
Dinty
Moore,
and
Guanacastle
were all part of the northwest Florida lumber boom in the early twentieth century,

hauling cargoes of timber from the river towns of Milton and Bagdad to the

dockyards of Pensacola. Although not glamorous or famous, these work-

ing craft serve as reminders of the industry that helped to build northern

Florida.

Another key maritime industry, fishing, has long been associated with

Florida, from prehistoric peoples to the early modern era. The red snap-

per industry increased in the nineteenth century, as did the mul et and

pompano markets. Oysters also became a new market for Gulf coast towns,

which often relied on railroads to get shipments out quickly. By the 1890s,

proof

Florida was one of the top states engaged in commercial fisheries. Huge

fleets of fishing boats were based in the major harbors of Tampa, St. Au-

gustine, Apalachicola, Key West, and Pensacola. Many ports focused on

pursuing a particular species, and port towns became famous for their

signature catches, such as Apalachicola oysters, St. Augustine deep-water

shrimp, Tarpon Springs and Key West sponges, and Pensacola red snapper.

The ships and boats used in the industry were specialized for their tasks and

reflected the particular needs of the crews. For example, a vessel type called

a “smack” was used in the snapper fishing industry centered in the Gulf of

Mexico. Smacks developed from fishing boats native to New England that

were brought south to fish the offshore waters of the Gulf. These boats soon

were modified with a live well that circulated ocean water to keep the fish

alive during long voyages. The sound of the fish smacking against the hull is

credited with inspiring the unusual name.

Despite the large numbers of smacks built and used around the Florida

Gulf coast, no examples of the type remain afloat. A couple of wrecks, how-

ever, have been archaeological y investigated. A wooden-hul ed wreck in

the Blackwater River, appropriately called the Snapper Wreck, is an example

of a local y used smack. Although the vessel’s name is not known, it appears

406 · Del a A. Scott-Ireton and Amy M. Mitchell-Cook

to have been abandoned in the 1930s, when motor-driven fishing boats

proved more efficient than sailing craft. Another boat, cal ed Hamilton’s

Wreck for its discoverer, lies in shallow water on the west side of Pensacola

Bay. Probably wrecked during one of the hurricanes that struck Pensacola

in the early twentieth century, this vessel’s artifacts, along with construction

features, suggest the vessel was used in the local fishing industry.

The expansion of maritime industries in Florida, like lumbering and

fishing, relied on shipping and the necessary infrastructure to keep goods

flowing. Through the 1870s and 1890s, small sums of money went to river

and harbor improvement. For example, the Apalachicola River was opened

to Columbus, Georgia, as a means to promote traffic; however, the harbor

itself remained an issue. Dredging efforts at Cedar Key on the west coast

and the St. Johns River in the east, especial y around Jacksonville, helped

with waterborne commerce and state-wide transportation. By the 1880s,

Jacksonville alone had seventy-four vessels operating from its port. Despite

this improvement, however, Jacksonville, like other Florida ports, contin-

ued to face problems of shallow water, winding rivers, and shifting chan-

nels that limited the size and capabilities of watercraft. In response to these

problems, throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century, Jacksonville

implemented river and harbor improvements to make it a viable seaport;

proof

these improvements required continual maintenance wel into the twentieth

century.

Along with maritime improvements came advancements in other forms

of moving goods. Railroads, a major means of transportation by the last

decades of the nineteenth century, experienced a dramatic advance when in

1888 Standard Oil tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler began the railroad Flor-

ida East Coast System that descended the Atlantic coast from Jacksonville

to Miami in 1896, and to Key West in 1912. As a result of increased traffic of

people and goods, the port of Miami began much-needed harbor enhance-

ments. Various other internal rail lines connected Jacksonville, Pensacola,

and Tampa Bay to the rest of the United States. By 1900, the state had been

transformed from a few minor ports and rail heads servicing a small and

scattered population to a burgeoning network of modern harbors, steam

lines, and railroad systems that mirrored developments in New York and

New England.

While Florida focused on harbor and internal improvements, the United

States recognized an increased need for coastal defense and improved

marine safety. By the 1870s, the shoreline of Florida had several houses of

refuge, including those located at Malabar, Gilberts Bar, Indian River, and

The Maritime Heritage of Florida · 407

The Gilbert’s Bar house of refuge near Stuart in 1934. Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Orange Grove. Often manned by a single keeper, the houses existed on

sparsely settled beaches and gave shelter to stranded or shipwrecked sailors.

A dramatic example of the need for such refuges occurred in 1904, when the

Italian barque
Georges
Valentine
wrecked on the east coast of Florida near

the town of Stuart. Loaded with a cargo of milled mahogany, the ship was

proof

en route from Pensacola to Buenos Aires, Argentina, when she was caught

in a powerful storm. Driven northward through the Straits of Florida, the

vessel ran aground on a shoal, causing her three iron masts to fall and the

hull to break apart; five of the crew were lost. Fortunately for the remainder,

the ship had wrecked near the Gilbert’s Bar house of refuge. Tired, cold, and

injured, the men struggled to the house to alert the keeper, Captain William

Rea, who provided aid, shelter, and food until the survivors could be sent

home to Italy. Seven of the twelve-man crew were saved, proving the worth

of the system of houses of refuge along Florida’s coasts. Today,
Georges
Val-

entine
is a Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places.

Modern Maritime Florida: Great Depression, World Wars,

and Beyond

Into the twentieth century, Florida shipping solidified its place within

worldwide commerce. The First World War disrupted some of this inter-

national trade, but the war itself did not come to Florida waters. Instead,

the beginning of World War I brought about the birth of naval aviation at

408 · Del a A. Scott-Ireton and Amy M. Mitchell-Cook

Pensacola and, by 1919, seaplane, dirigible, and balloon pilots trained at the

base. After the war, Florida’s economy shifted to tourism and land sales. In

the 1920s, southern Florida became a major tourist destination. Big-game

fishing for marlin, tuna, and sailfish lured anglers to coastal towns including

Key West, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Destin. Projects such as the Overseas

Highway boosted travel and tourism, and were a means to bring tourists to

the Florida Keys. During winter months, the population of southern Florida

expanded by 300 percent. Another project, first conceived in the late nine-

teenth century, the East Coast Canal (later renamed the Florida Intracoastal

Waterway) provided a protected inland waterway for trade and shipping,

but when opened, it proved to be more of a service to pleasure craft than a

route for merchant ships. However, such improvements did not go without

reverses. Col apsing land sales in 1926 and devastating hurricanes in 1926,

1928, and 1935 diminished growth, as did the Great Depression in 1929–40.

In 1920, Prohibition brought about a new emphasis on border secu-

rity. At this time, the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life-Saving Service

merged into the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and one of its major

tasks was to enforce Prohibition and interrupt rum runners bringing illegal

alcohol into the United States. Large numbers of smugglers took advantage

of Florida’s sparsely settled coastlines and numerous inlets. Their boats and

proof

airplanes moved between the Bahamas and Florida, and Homestead became

a main distribution center for alcohol imported from Cuba, while Key West

served as an important stopover. Fast, quiet, sail-powered vessels often ran

alcohol into Florida’s hidden harbors. One relic of the rum-running days is

Governor
Stone,
one of the last examples of the coastal schooners that once

operated along the Gulf coast.

Built in 1877,
Governor
Stone
was used as a cargo transport, an oyster

buy-boat, and a merchant marine training vessel, as well as a rumrunner.

Now restored as a sailing museum,
Stone
travels the Gulf coast offering edu-

cational activities, sailing excursions, and tours. Another Prohibition-era

vessel lies on the sea floor near Miami.
Half
Moon
was a German-built rac-

ing yacht original y called
Germania
when she was launched in 1908. After

capture by the British at the start of World War I,
Half
Moon
eventual y

was taken to Miami, where she was anchored offshore as a floating cabaret.

Half
Moon
broke her moorings during a storm and ran aground off Key

Biscayne, where she is located today. Now a popular snorkeling and diving

site, the yacht also is a State Underwater Archaeological Preserve.

The rumrunners’ problem came to a head when, in 1927, a smuggler shot

and killed a Coastguardsman in Florida waters. The smuggler subsequently