EXHIBITION: Bahama Village: Relics of a Fading Community

Key West Art & Historical Society will debut a new exhibition on January 13, 2023, that will explore the history and culture of the often-overlooked segment of the community – former and current residents of Bahama Village. In this exhibition, history and stories will be woven together through various events that shaped the Black and Indigenous cultures of Key West.

In the early 1800s and 1900s, the Black and Indigenous community of Key West was skilled and hardworking. Many early settlers migrated to the island from St. Augustine, the Bahamas, and Cuba, and with them they brought their skills, education, and culture. These settlers were great contributors to the island’s development. This included African slaves that brought by slaveholders to assist in the expansion of the island. Free Blacks relocating to Key West were some of the first to become educated in America. They believed strongly in education which began at home and in church basements, until the establishment of the segregated Frederick Douglass School in 1870. The island’s Black community developed around, and enmeshed in, an area that we now refer to as Bahama Village.

Never-before-on-view objects include a football helmet and shoulder pads from Frederick Douglass School, musical instruments from the estate of William McKinzie, a nineteenth century Sanchez family bible and a suit once belonging to illustrious local musician Coffee Butler. These items, along with several others, will tell the inspiring history, culture, and contributions of the Black residents.

This exhibition and related programming are funded in part through a Florida Humanities Community Project Grant in partnership with the Key West Art & Historical Society.

Plan a Visit:

The Key West Museum of Art and History is open Monday through Sunday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Please visit the Museum’s webpage for current admission prices. Children seven years and younger are free.