Homestead in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

A Sudden Squall

— Biscayne National Park —

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 17, 2024

1. A Sudden Squall Marker

Inscription. A Sudden Squall drives a ship westward, off its southerly Gulf Stream route from Liverpool, England to New Orleans, Louisiana. In mere feet of water, a sea swell heaves the laden ship onto a massive coral reef. Sailors panic as the hull cracks and the ship takes on water. Daylight fades and fear sharpens as night deepens. Clinging to hope and wreckage, survivors are blasted by stormy seas. No one is coming because no one knows they are in peril. For centuries this was a common fate for ships navigating the shallow seas along the Florida Keys.

At dawn, word of a shipwreck spreads along the coast and salvors sail out in search of survivors and fortune. These salvors, or wreckers, had enough of this kind of work that shipwreck salvage was a mainstay economy from Key West to Miami.

To reduce the number of shipwrecks along the reef and shallow waters, many aids to navigation have been constructed through the generations. Among the earliest were the eponymously named Totten Beacons, designed by U.S. Army Officer Lt. James Totten in the mid-1800s. Originally designed for use in chart-making, the beacons themselves were soon

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used for visual navigation by sailors, despite being unlit.

There was still need for a marker that could be seen by ships far out in the ocean, both day and night. Thus, the Fowey Rocks Lighthouse was built in 1878 and drilled into the ocean floor, not far from the Totten Beacon "P". There are five more like it that span the Florida Keys.

Today, modern technology has largely put an end to shipwrecks in this region, and the wrecking industry is a thing of the past. The remains of the Totten Beacons are below the sea, however the Fowey Rocks Lighthouse is still an important functioning aid to navigation.

The Fowey Rocks Lighthouse and six historic shipwrecks comprise our Maritime Heritage Trail. All can be visited and are popular locations for snorkeling and SCUBA diving. As with the rest of our recognized cultural heritage, they are all protected and preserved in perpetuity.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 25° 27.858′ N,

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 17, 2024

2. A Sudden Squall Marker

80° 20.052′ W. Marker is in Homestead, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It can be reached from Southwest 328th Street 2.8 miles east of Southwest 117th Avenue when traveling east. Located behind the Dante Fascell Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9700 SW 328th St, Homestead FL 33033, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 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 walking distance of this marker: Ring the Biscayne Channel Sea Bell! (here, next to this marker); Two Parks, Divided (a few steps from this marker); The Jones Family of Biscayne (a few steps from this marker); Maritime Heritage Trail

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(within shouting distance of this marker); His Majesty's Ship Fowey (within shouting distance of this marker); HMS Fowey Cannon (within shouting distance of this marker); Dante B. Fascell (within shouting distance of this marker); Hurricane Andrew (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Homestead.

Also see . . . Biscayne National Park. National Park Service (Submitted on May 1, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 29, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 291 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 30, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.