Tavernier in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Tavernier

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, May 16, 2015

1. Tavernier Marker

Inscription. (side 1)
What is today Tavenier was originally inhabited by the Calusa and Tequesta Native Americans. The Tequesta occupied the area around Biscayne Bay, while the Calusa inhabited Southwest Florida. In 1513, the Florida Keys were discovered and mapped by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon who named the islands Los Martires (The Martyrs"), as they looked like suffering men from a distance. During Florida's First Spanish Period, the Keys remained isolated from imperial administration, as Spain focused its colonial efforts in Central and South America. In 1774, British cartographer Bernard Romans created a detailed map of the Keys, including Tavernier, which he mapped as Key Tabona. The Tavernier vicinity offered a favorable anchorage for Bahamian fisherman and wreckers due to its location near the hazardous Carysfort Reef. All of Tavernier's earliest settlers originated in the Bahamas. No settlement occurred in Tavernier during Florida's Territorial Period, although Key West began to grow as sponging, turtling, and wrecking became prominent in the economy of the Lower Keys. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) The

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Tavernier community began in the late 1800s on the oceanfront at Planter, located northeast of the present town center. This small settlement grew up around the Samuel Johnson farm, and a post office was established here in 1891. Surrounded by water, the community used both land and sea resources, and was served by sailing vessels such as the Island Home which was once captained by Samuel Williams. Products and passengers were carried from here to and from ports on the mainland to Key West. By 1895, the remainder of oceanfront Tavernier had been homesteaded by founders Robert Albury and Amos Lowe. Hurricanes, a pineapple blight, and new development around the F.E.C. Railroad contributed to the decline of Planter. Planter's post office closed in 1910, and a Tavernier post office opened near the railroad depot in 1911. In 1928, Hubert S. "Mac" McKenzie moved to Tavernier. He began a gradual development of commercial enterprises in the town providing services, supplies, and employment. Many of those businesses and descendants of Tavernier's founding families still remain in the town. Much of Tavernier's center has been designated a historic

Tavernier Marker (reverse side) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, May 16, 2015

2. Tavernier Marker (reverse side)

district by Monroe County to help preserve it.

Erected 2013 by A Florida Heritage Site, Sponsored by the Historic Florida Keys Foundation, Inc. and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-778.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Postal Mail and Philately series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1513.

Location. 25° 0.57′ N, 80° 30.986′ W. Marker is in Tavernier, Florida, in Monroe County. It is at the intersection of Albury Boulevard and Overseases Highway (U.S. 1), in the median on Albury Boulevard. Located at the entrance to Old Settlers Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tavernier FL 33070, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Keys.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, May 16, 2015

3. Tavernier Marker

itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Plantation Key (approx. 4.8 miles away); Betsy the Lobster - History (approx. 4.9 miles away); Yateras (approx. 4.9 miles away); African Queen (approx. 7.7 miles away); Indian Wells (approx. 7.9 miles away); Yellow Submarine / Recompression Chamber (approx. 8½ miles away); British Cannon circa 1600's (approx. 8½ miles away); Site of Islamorada Railway Station (approx. 8.7 miles away).

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, May 16, 2015

4. Tavernier Marker

Blooming poinciana tree near marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, May 16, 2015

5. Blooming poinciana tree near marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 5, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 21, 2015, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,404 times since then and 96 times this year. Last updated on February 5, 2019, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 21, 2015, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.