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

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];