Nothing defines a community more than its history. The forces and events that shape a place also form the character of its people. Local stories handed down from generation to generation convey shared values and a sense of place to children and newcomers. And in an historically significant place like Key West, the past takes on even more importance. Much of our tourist economy is based at least in part on Key West's colorful past. And our town's distinctive houses and public buildings draw appreciative students of architecture from around the world.
But Key West is increasingly sacrificing its history—and the future of our history-based tourism economy—to shortsighted greed. Calculating business people are dumbing-down and outright falsifying Key West's history in an attempt to gain an economic edge over competitors. Others are chipping away at our physical past, leveling or altering beyond recognition the structures that reflect the various roles Key West has played through the years. And in the process, they are threatening to unravel the economic and social fabric of our community.
The most obvious example of this trend is the motorized tours that crowd our streets. Everybody has their own favorite story of an outrageous fabrication overheard from a passing tour vehicle. Other cases include the now-defunct party-boat-turned-ferry with the laughable claim that it had been "circumnavigating Key West since 1888" emblazoned on its side. And some businesses make more tongue-in-cheek claims that poke fun at the historical hyperbole, like the bar that bills itself as the oldest in Key West.
But even when these inaccuracies seem funny or harmless they are having a negative impact. History is one of the currencies that drives Key West's tourist economy, and when it is counterfeited, the entire currency is devalued. Nobody likes to be made a fool of, and when people who truly care about history find out they've been had, they'll begin to doubt the legitimacy of all of Key West's historical claims and go elsewhere. This has an impact on locals too, contributing to the disconcerting feeling that we're living in a theme park.
The physical mutilation of Key West's past will have more long-lasting effects. Irreplaceable architectural and historical treasures have been leveled, often replaced by cheesy faux-Victorian or "conch-style" structures. Other historic buildings have been gutted, their interiors badly rebuilt with inferior materials, or turned into chain theme restaurants.
Not surprisingly, this disrespect for Key West's past also extends to many city officials. After all, they are the ones who allow these changes to happen, and sometimes they actually encourage them. At the last city Planning Board meeting, I sat watching incredulously as the city planner actually encouraged a citizen to gut the interior of a historic structure in order to qualify for a transient rental license.
If public officials acted this way in Saint Augustine, Charleston, Williamsburg or any of the other places that compete with us for the historical tourism market, they would be tarred and feathered. These communities value their traditions and their economic sustainability, and they have developed long-term plans to preserve them.
Key West still has a lot going for it. We have Fort Zachary Taylor, which played a pivotal role in the Civil War, plus the East and West Martello Towers. Our historic city cemetery contains the memorial to the sailors who died in the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine, which touched off the Spanish-American War. Hearings regarding that inflammatory sinking were held in the Customs House at Clinton Square. Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway lived and worked here. And according to the Old Island Restoration Foundation, we have the largest predominantly wooden Historic Register District in the United States.
But bit by bit we are losing our heritage, and with it our sense of place. And once we've destroyed our history it will be gone forever.