Some may recall that we are donut hunters, searching out the best local donuts to take us to donut heaven. The tiny bakery we’d seen on our first visit vanished and try as we might, even asking around, we couldn’t find the darn place. So much for Cronuts. But as we walked down Whitehead after visiting the Shipwreck Museum, toward our car and the Impossible Things Bead Emporium, on Eaton Street sat “Glazed Donuts”. If that name doesn’t spell it out for you then welcome Martians to Earth! With a look and feel lifted out of NYC tempered with Keys ambiance, the classy joint sat conveniently next to the Tropic Theater with a Marilyn Monroe statue on the sidewalk.

Next door to Glazed Donuts

Open 7am to 3pm, we just made it at 2:30. Ten to twelve standard offerings are individually displayed in clear cubbies on the counter to allow for pondering and drooling on yourself, not the donut. A metal bakery rack sits off to the side with fresh donuts. I got a glazed to go and we each chose one for the next morning. Oversized so you don’t feel too bad about paying $1.50 (others cost more!) the dough of the glazed donut reminded me of Britt’s slight egg-y flavor, but these were larger and not quite so close to a French cruller texture.

Maple brown sugar with candied bacon was excellent; the Chocolate Lovers disappointed

Even better fresh on-site a few mornings later. A couple about our age sat at the window table. When I got up to buy a third one, the man asked me, “is this the best donut you’ve ever had?” To his credit he didn’t crumble when I told him “no” but it was darn close. But when he asked if I thought the place was franchise-able; well that was an easy, Yes!! When we left he had a few more questions for us; so be watching for a Glazed Donut shop in your town someday. 🙂

Another jaunt into Key West led us to the Shipwreck Museum where we learned more than our brains could hold about “wrecking”, or the business of salvaging ships.

When Florida officially became a U.S. Territory in 1821, Key West became the center of one of the most lucrative businesses in history; that of salvaging ships. Several events spurred this on. In 1822 John Simonton, the first land owner of Key West, helped convince the U. S. Congress to create a new district for customs collection for the south Florida coastline. Soon after, President James Monroe designated Key West as the Port of Entry, which meant that wrecked goods from foreign countries, with payment of duties, could now be handled locally. A booming business was born.

In 1825 Congress enacted a law prohibiting the carrying of wrecked goods on the Florida coast to any foreign place and required all such goods to be brought to a port of entry in the U.S. This drove out any foreign competition and now even more duties got paid through the customs house in Key West. The next important event was when Congress established a federal court in Key West, locally known as the “Wrecking Court”. The court licensed Wreckers and oversaw the business that was rapidly propelling Key West and her 800 or so inhabitants into a place of wealth.

So how many ships wrecked on the reefs fringing the coast of the Florida Keys? On average, about one per week! In the 1850s Key West was easily the richest city per capita in the United States; in the two years of 1855 & 1856, 151 ships required some sort of assistance from “Wreckers”. Talk about the boom years!

I’ll drink to that!

The business was quite organized and the court judges punished infractions. The sloops and schooners that rushed to the aid of wrecked ships were owned by either the sloop’s captain or a separate individual. The crew, the captain and owner all shared in the profits derived when the salvaged goods sold in the huge markets and warehouses in Key West. Only the first sloop or schooner to reach the poor wrecked ship got the money but it was not uncommon to share a portion with others who assisted.

View from atop the tall watch tower

Ships carried a wide variety of goods: fabric, hard goods, silver bars, coins, marble, even pianos. The citizens of Key West lived well; perhaps that helped offset the mosquito laden oppressive heat of the summers. Even now I wouldn’t want to spend summer in Florida.

The lowest level of the museum was a former cistern and our noses detected that musty -salty-water odor right away. Among other items it housed a wide-screen TV that ran a 14 minute narrated story using old movie footage and a place we recognized immediately; Mystic Seaport with the Charles W Morgan in the background.