Key West Botanical Garden Society Speaker Series: Chug Collection Conservators

The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is hosting the Key West Botanical Garden Society Speaker Series Chug Collection Conservator Dr. John R. Bratten, for a presentation of the Cuban “Chug” Boat Project: “Documenting Hope and Resolve.” This presentation is a follow up of maritime archaeologists at the University of West Florida embarked on a project to record a collection of small boats and rafts that provided a conduit to freedom for unknown Cuban citizens.

Since the 1980s, the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden has acquired 10 refugee vessels and placed them in an outside exhibit. Many of the home-built vessels arrived in the Florida Keys or the Dry Tortugas in conjunction with the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. Others followed in the wake of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1996-the “wet foot, dry foot policy.” After arriving in Florida, many of these vessels were sunk, burned, or dismantled. These vessels testify to the struggle of the refugees and social conditions in Cuba; the unique collection is worthy of saving, documenting, and exhibiting. When viewed as a group, the watercraft are a tribute to the ingenuity and resolve of the hopeful immigrants.

Admission is $5, or free for Key West Botanical Garden Members. This program is funded in part through a Florida Humanities Community Project Grant in partnership with the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden.