With over 172,000 acres of underwater beauty and mangrove forests, this Biscayne Bay is an obvious paradise for snorkelers, scuba divers, and sailors alike. But you history buffs out there may be intrigued by the wild legends of lore that predate the foundation of Biscayne National Park, as there are a few darned interesting historical details that you’ll certainly want to have in your collection of knowledge.
So here are some fun facts about Biscayne National Park that will prompt your next trip down the rabbit hole of national park history.
Guide to Biscayne
Biscayne Fun Facts
Fact 1 – Biscayne was once a home for ruthless Pirates!
Yep, this peaceful place was at one time, a quiet retreat for Black Caesar, a notorious pirate of the early 18th century, who roamed the seas during the Golden Age of Piracy. Arrr, the good ‘ol days…
He was, for a while, a member of the crew aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, captained by the infamous Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. In fact, some historical accounts indicate that Black Caesar was one of the surviving crew members present when Blackbeard was killed by Lieutenant Robert Maynard in 1718.
However, historical records during these days are not complete, and Black Caesar’s life was shrouded in myth and legend, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction.
According to the traditional accounts, Black Caesar was a prominent African tribal war chieftain, widely known for his immense strength, intelligence, and bravery. He was captured along with his warriors by a slave trader who lured them onto his ship with promises of treasure and artifacts. They were then sold into slavery.
While being transported to the Americas, the ship carrying Black Caesar and his fellow slaves was caught in a hurricane off the coast of Florida. The storm destroyed the ship, but Black Caesar managed to escape with the help of a friendly sailor. Together, they survived on the nearby Elliot Key and eventually started raiding passing ships to accumulate treasure.
It is said that Black Caesar buried his treasure, some $6 million in gold, on the island, but no one has ever found it. He was also rumored to have had a harem of captured women and a prison camp where he kept prisoners hoping to ransom them. No one has ever found them either…
Today, Black Caesar’s legacy lives on in Biscayne, where Caesar’s Rock and Caesar’s Creek are named after him. Although his story is steeped in legend, the facts that remain paint a picture of a fearsome pirate who once terrorized the seas of the Caribbean… Straight Outta Biscayne….
On this subject, I must tell my favorite pirate joke:
Do you know what a pirate’s favorite letter is?
You may think it is the ARRRR, but actually, tis the SEA…….
Fact 2 – Biscayne is 95% water, but holds four separate ecosystems!
The park boasts the longest stretch of mangrove shoreline on the east coast of Florida, a bay community, a collection of more than 40 small coral rock islands, and the northernmost living coral reef in the United States.
The mainland’s shores are lined with mangroves, as are the shores of the chain of keys extending north to south. These lie bordered by Biscayne Bay on the west and on the eastern side of the keys we find the Atlantic Ocean, where the reef is located.
Biscayne’s coral reef is a top attraction, known for its transitional bank-barrier and patch reef system. The presence of numerous small reefs, around 100 in total, sets it apart from a single, massive reef system.
The reef system sustains an incredible variety of over 200 species, which is the hallmark feature of coral reefs. Only the tropical rainforest surpasses them in biodiversity among the planet’s major ecosystems. To emphasize their importance, conservationists often refer to the colorful coral reefs as the “rainforests of the sea.”
Fact 3 – The history of Biscayne National Park is actually tied to King Arthur’s Court.
Well, sort of. It all begins with the entrance of the Jones’ in the 1890s when Israel Lafayette Jones, a black man born in North Carolina’s slave country in 1858, accepted a job as caretaker for a few prominent landowners in the Key Biscayne area.
Jones had found himself a wife during his time in southern Florida, a Bahamian lady by the name of Mozelle. The two were wed in 1895, and their first offspring came in March of 1897, with the birth of King Arthur Lafayette Jones. A second son was born in October of 1898, who was named Sir Lancelot Garfield Jones. It appears that the Jones’ were destined to become a success, not in name only, but through a wise series of business and real estate maneuvers.
Israel Jones worked at numerous tasks, and quickly became proficient in growing lime and pineapple trees. After working for a while as a caretaker and farmer, the elder Jones, known as Parson to many in the surrounding community, decided to jump into the farming business for himself, and in 1898 purchased Porgy Key, on the southern edge of Caesar Creek for $300, which equaled about $5 per acre.
Over the coming decade, Parson and his young sons would work to clear land on the key, cutting through the tropical brush of vines and foliage, such as gumbo-limbo, palmetto and mahogany trees. Under the greenery however, lay the coral limestone that would built wealth for the Jones’, as the elder farmer knew that this soil would be the perfect habitat for pineapples, tomatoes and limes.
The family planted their acreage, and within two years of planting, began to see profit. Their enterprise would soon become one of the largest producers of such fruits on the entire East Coast.
Over the coming years, the Jones’ would add to their real estate holdings, and steadfastly built a small empire. By the 1930s, Arthur and Lancelot were in charge of the farm, and Israel “Parson” Lafayette Jones passed away in 1932, preceded by Mozelle, who passed in 1929.
The 1930s would be a rough time for the Jones brothers, as they carried on the family business. Their business was booming, as they moved 250 bushels of limes into Miami on a weekly basis, aboard their 32-foot boat, the Lone Star. Nevertheless, even a busy business can be financially stressed, and in 1938 the brothers left the lime business, due in part to environmental complications resulting from the “Great Hurricane of 1926”.
The brothers continued to move forward, undeterred. In 1935, they had begun a guiding business, taking wealthy Miamians fishing on Biscayne Bay, as no one knew the waters better. Through their fine reputations and connections at wealthy clubs such as the Coco Loco Club, the Jones’ were positioned with access to local patrons of considerable wealth. Over the coming decades, they would host a number of prominent guests, such as Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.
The 1940s brought World War II to the steps of the country, and Arthur served in the Army, after serving a stint in the Navy during World War I. He would eventually pass away in 1966.
The decades of the latter 20th century would witness massive population growth in southern Florida, as Miami began to explode. Land developers had their eyes on any dry section of land in sight, and this put the distant keys of Biscayne Bay right in their crosshairs.
The proposed island community of Islandia contained 32 keys, with Porgy Key and Old Rhodes Key among those contained in the development proposal. The Jones’ were the second largest property owners within Islandia, and stood opposed to the development of the islands.
Opposition to the development was gaining traction, and President Lyndon Johnson declared the area a National Monument in 1968. In accordance with their opposition to their islands being developed, the Jones’ agreed to sell their home to the National Park Service, along with the accompanying 277 acres in 1970. They were paid 1.2 million, and Lancelot Jones was granted the right to live out his life in the home that his family had lived for nearly 80 years. Congress made Biscayne a National Park in 1980.
Unfortunately, a fire forced Lancelot out of the family home in 1982, and he took up residence in the caretaker’s shack nearby. However, ten years later, in 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed the shack, and Lancelot was finally forced back to the mainland. He lived out his remaining days with old family friends, and passed away in December of 1997, at the age of 99.
Biscayne Stat Sheet
established: October 18, 1968 – Biscayne National Monument
June 28, 1980 as Biscayne National Park
rank of admission: 41
size: 172,971 acres
rank in size: 34
annual visitation: 2018 – 469,253
rank in visitation: 40
time zone: Eastern Time
park phone: 305 230 1114
Guide to Biscayne
Relevant Links
Biscayne National Park Institute
National Park Guides
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