![]() After living in Nashville and New Orleans and having very little success in the music business, Jimmy came to Key West with a friend in the early 1970s. Perhaps it’s the laid-back lyrics and melodies that Buffett is famous for or the fact that he got his first real taste of fame right here. It’s no surprise that when people think of Jimmy Buffett, images of Key West often come to mind. Mel Fisher lived out the rest of his life in Key West, passing away in his home in December of 1998 at the age of 76. ![]() The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum displays many of the priceless pieces that were recovered from the Atocha. He loved Key West and the people he’d come to know over the years and was thrilled to share his find with the community and the world. In Key West, Mel was well-known for his vast background and knowledge of scuba diving and for his unwavering determination to successfully recover the sunken treasure. This remains the largest treasure discovery in Key West History. Pieces of eight, 40 tons of gold and silver, Columbian emeralds, gold coins, silver and gold artifacts and over 1000 silver bars were found. For his family, his crew, the Key West community and the world, it was an astounding event, the recovery of over $450 million worth of sunken treasure. And on July 20, 1985, his lifelong dream was realized as he sat in his Key West office listening to his son on the radio calling out “put away the charts, we found the mother lode.” That day was “the day” that Mel always talked about-as his mantra was “today’s the day”. Though faced with much adversity and many obstacles, and the tragic loss of one of his own children, Mel never gave up. Mel Fisher spent every day for nearly 17 years searching the ocean floor just offshore of Key West for the 1622 sunken Spanish galleon, Nuestra Senora de Atocha. ![]() His spirit is alive throughout the mansion and the streets of the community he called home for nearly 30 years. Guests can even meet the descendants of his beloved six-toed cat and see the penny he stuck into the cement after Pauline had the pool built in their backyard for a cost of $20,000. A tour of the Hemingway House is a treat, revealing original items and artifacts that belonged to the Nobel Prize-winning author. And his home on Whitehead Street hosts thousands of visitors every day, allowing everyone to see where it all took place. At Captain Tony’s Saloon (which was the original location of Sloppy Joe’s), visitors can see his original bar stool where he sat almost daily. Ernest Hemingway left an indelible impression on the community. To Have and Have Not, one of his acclaimed novels, was based on Key West during the Depression. And he wrote books that were often based on the people he was closest with. He lived like anyone else: fishing, visiting and drinking with his buddies. They were also known for their nicknames, which is where the legend of Papa Hemingway came to life.įor Hemingway, Key West was a town of inspiration and familiarity. In fact, they, along with several other Key West locals, were referred to as The Key West Mob, and were known for their fishing expeditions to the Dry Tortugas and Cuba. Hemingway and Russell became great friends and would often go out fishing together.
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