Sharon M. Himsl - Shells, Tales and Sails: Florida

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Historical U.S. Buildings in 1890s: Stereoviews A-Z

Historical buildings in the 1890s

that people liked to visit . . .

"The Rotunda. Royal Poinciana Hotel, Palm Beach, Florida" (ca. 1890s)

Royal Poinciana in 1900

Built in 1894 with oil and railroad money, this lavish six-story hotel became the largest wooden structure in the world. In its heyday, up to the 1920s, the Royal Poinciana could accommodate 2000 guests and employed 1700 people. When the stock market crashed in 1929, the hotel suffered. It was closed in 1934 and dismantled the following year.

"Fanueil Hall, "The Cradle of American Liberty,"

Boston, Massachusetts (ca. 1890s)

George Washington's Home, Mt. Vernon, Virginia (ca. 1890s)

Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA (ca. 1890s)

[history source: http://en.wikipedia.org/]

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011.
Published with Evernight Teen:
~~The Shells of Mersing

Friday, April 5, 2013

Eerie Sponges: Stereoviews A-Z

Eerie. These sponges remind me of the old horror movie, The Blob. Movie previews showed people running out of a theater, screaming for their lives, chased by a giant glob of goo. (Hmm....the crowd in front might want to think about moving).

There were two Blob movies made, the first in 1958 and a remake in 1988. I don't remember seeing either, just the previews. The 1958 movie trailer can still be found online.

Sponge Market, Key West, Florida (ca. 1890s)

I have never seen sponge harvested nor been to a sponge market. Sponge was first commercially harvested in Key West in the 1850s. The market and profits grew at a phenomenal rate, and by 1890, Key West was the sponge capital of the world. At the turn of the century, there were 350 boats harvesting sponge according to records. However, profits and yields lasted only a short time. Fungus destroyed the sponge beds and cheaper synthetic sponges became available. Today the sponge beds are slowly growing back.

[Source: http://florida-agriculture.com/consumers/recreation/waterfront/keywest.html];