In Reference to Cape Florida Lighthouse.
Starting in 1944, I spent, along with my older brother and cousins Christmas vacation and Most of each summer, staying with Paul Pent, the Caretaker of the James Deering Estate at Cape Florida.
Paul,a Grandson of one of the early caretakers of the Lighthouse, his wife Rosa, and Daughter Joan, were second family to all us boys, in fact my cousin Eugene Lytton married Joan later on.
Edward Pent, Pauls father was most likely the first white man born on the island, in the lighthouse caretakers house, he died in the huge cypress and Dade County pine summer house of James Deering on the southmost point of the island,in 1948.
There are numerous storys online on the history of the Cape Florida Lighthouse,including some great photos over the years of the lighthouse. just put cape florida in the search box of your favorite search engine..
Many a happy day was spent, swimming, fishing, just walking the beach, at the Cape,
During the Hurricane of 1946, we were marooned on the Cape for 3 days, due to the long after life of bad weather following the storm..We stood on the porch of the Deering house, bent 45 degrees in the winds just to stand up, and watched the fire at the Richmond Blimp base across the Bay, as that facility, with all its airplanes, anscars, were destroyed.
Lordy,I could go on for hours about times spent at the cape... But I shall stop for now and write another missive on Earls Market, and the forerunner of the huge discount store on 27th ave. and as the old writers of the Miami Herald signed off years ago, I will also....... 86
How do I know? my mother worked as a waitress at a coffee shop close to the Herald, and when they ran out of an entree, they also said it was 86,finished or there was no more.... 86
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