THINGS THAT HAVE NOT CHANGED IN KEY WEST & THE FLORIDA KEYS OVER THE PAST 200 YEARS

10. The first bowl of conch chowder was reportedly created by Italian settler and prize fighter Francis Jebediah Mongelli in 1823. Today, his great-great-great-greatgreat-grandson Bobby Mongelli continues to serve the same secret chowder recipe at his local restaurants on Stock Island.

9. There has always been some variation of a “Reimagine Key West” contingent in the Keys. The first group was organized by Spanish settlers, who reimagined the island chains without the Calusa and Tequesta Native American tribes, who first inhabited the area.

8. Two hundred years ago, Key West was the main seat of the Florida Keys, which meant all business and government dealings took place on the southernmost island. Today, 200 years later, Key West still demands that everyone in the county drive down to them to celebrate a bicentennial party.

7. Key West was named “Cayo Hueso” by the Spanish, which literally means “bone cay,” because the island was once littered by the bones of Native Americans who used the island as a communal graveyard. Today, the Keys are still used as a symbolic resting place for snowbirds waiting to die.

6. Henry Flagler installed the Keys’ first pipes for drinking water following the American Civil War. Those same water mains are still being used — and repaired — by FKAA today.