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Egmont Key celebrates its history this weekend

Tribune file photo by JAY NOLAN

The annual Discover the Island event Saturday and Sunday is a fundraiser for the Egmont Key Alliance, a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting, restoring and preserving the natural history and culture of the barrier island.

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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 11, 2009

TAMPA - Once a year, tiny Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay comes alive with visitors, Civil War re-enactors, local history buffs and interpretive sites telling about wildlife, history, military and the key's 151-year-old lighthouse.

The annual Discover the Island event Saturday and Sunday is a fundraiser for the Egmont Key Alliance, a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting, restoring and preserving the natural history and culture of the barrier island.

"The island is a Florida state park and this is the one time each year when we have volunteers there to share the island's history," alliance member Jane Fultz said.

"We have about 10 walking sites and people can enjoy the beach, the walking tours and the wildlife as well," she said.

The island is home to the gopher tortoise and box turtle. It is also a nesting site for loggerhead turtles and numerous bird species.

People can also enjoy wildlife and bird watching, shelling, nature photography and exploring beaches and trails, she said.

Alliance president Richard Johnson will dress as a lighthouse keeper from 1848 to welcome visitors to the structure, still operated by the Coast Guard.

"We have a small museum on the island," Fultz said. "The history dates back to Florida's pioneer days."

Named in honor of the second Earl of Egmont John Perceval, a member of the Irish House of Commons in 1763, Egmont Key has been visited by Spanish conquistadors as well as Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War.

At the end of the third Seminole War in 1858, Egmont Key was used by the U.S. Army to detain Seminole prisoners until they could be moved to the Arkansas Territory.

Various settlements have been built on the island and at one time there was a small village with a post office.

Shuttle boats to the key will leave Fort DeSoto Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on a regular schedule with the last boat returning from the island at 4 p.m. Passengers will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hot dogs and bottled water will be sold on the island, but visitors can bring a picnic.

Tickets are $15. Children 11 and younger are admitted free. Advance ticket sales are available at www.egmontkey.info. Tickets will also be sold at the Fort DeSoto ferry departure location during each day of the event.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.

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