Cigar City Magazine
  • HOME
  • STORIES
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Tampa Mafia
  • Tampa Mafia Tours

history of  TAMPA

REDISCOVER. REMEMBER. RELIVE.

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE: Key West and the Building of the Over-Sea Railroad

11/1/2008

0 Comments

 
Over-Sea Railway Souvenir Program by George R. Chapin, 1912.
Over-Sea Railway Souvenir Program by George R. Chapin, 1912.
"Flagler's Folly" is what they called it: A railroad across the Florida Keys. More than a few people thought that the financier and developer, at age 71, had stepped over the line to senility when he proposed the project. Skepticism was enormous despite Henry Flagler's reputation as the man whose railway, steamship, and hotel ventures had brought much of Florida from backwoods to modernity in a few busy decades. Flagler's rail network in the Sunshine State–the Florida East Coast Railway–was his most celebrated work, laying hundreds of miles of track and linking Florida's eastern and southern parts with the civilized world.

Read More
0 Comments

FROM CEDAR TO CIGARS

11/1/2008

0 Comments

 
Picture
Workers gathered in front of the Tampa Box Company on 7th Avenue and 17th Street in Ybor City between 1895 and 1905.
In the early days of Tampa, you could stand on the banks of the Hillsborough River, and if the wind was blowing just right, you might smell the thick aroma of cedar permeating the air. As cigar factories from Palmetto Beach to West Tampa hummed with workers, several ancillary businesses sprouted to support the booming industry. Restaurants and boarding houses kept workers fed and housed. At the same time, other companies manufactured the equipment and tools necessary to produce quality hand-rolled cigars. ​

Read More
0 Comments

EL LECTOR: BILLY SUNDAY AND THE RIVER OF BEER

3/1/2008

0 Comments

 
Billy Sunday
Billy Sunday preaching on March 15, 1915, in a temporary tabernacle erected on what would become the site of the Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Illustration by George Bellows.
Billy Sunday has been downtown preaching for the past couple of days, as I’m sure you’ve all noticed,” I began, pausing for the dismissive mumbling and laughter to clear the room. “Indeed, the aptly named Mr. Sunday has come to town to save your wretched souls…at least that’s what he says. Mr. Sunday has a bit of what you might call a colored past. 

Read More
0 Comments

VAL M. ANTUONO AND CUBAN HAVANA SEGARS (C.H.S)

7/1/2007

0 Comments

 
Val M. Antuono cigar factory
He arrived in America with his father, Vincent, and two brothers in 1886. He was still experiencing the pain of losing his mother, Sarah, the year before. His father wanted to start a new life with his sons, and America was the place to do that. They first arrived in New York but soon after that settled in Tampa, knowing there were many jobs to find. 

Read More
0 Comments

EL LECTOR: THE HANGING OF CASTRANGE FICCARROTTA AND ANGELO ALBANO

7/1/2007

0 Comments

 
Picture
​“Now is the time to make a decision.”  Saying it, I surprise even myself. “The M. Fernandez Factory was called out yesterday, and the workers have joined the picket line. The Tampa Morning Tribune reports that Castange Ficcarrotta and Angelo Albano–two Italian anarchists–were found hanged this morning across the river in Tampa. I wait for this to sink in, and the workers, quietly setting up for a day of rolling or still shuffling into the galleria, all come to a stop. There is no collective sigh, no gasp, just their eyes watching me on the stand, and I can feel them staring; I can feel them beginning to shoulder the weight of what I have just told them. This strike has dragged on since June, the slow Florida summer doing little to alleviate the pent-up tensions. It’s all over the New York papers, too. The New York Times ran a story on Tampa’s “necktie party,” but I can’t bear to tell them that.

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2011
    September 2009
    July 2009
    March 2009
    January 2009
    November 2008
    July 2008
    March 2008
    January 2008
    November 2007
    September 2007
    July 2007
    May 2007
    March 2007
    January 2007
    November 2006
    September 2006
    July 2006
    May 2006
    March 2006
    January 2006
    November 2005
    January 2005
    January 2004

    Categories

    All
    Andy Huse
    Celebrities
    Cesar Brioso
    Cigar Industry
    Downtown Tampa
    El Lector
    Food
    Gail Ellis
    Historical Events
    Jack Fernandez
    Lisa Figueredo
    Manny Leto
    Marilyn Figueredo
    Maureen J. Patrick
    Megan Voeller
    Paul Guzzo
    Tampa Baseball
    Tampa Mafia
    Tampa Neighborhoods
    Tampa People
    Tampa Sports
    Tampa's Social Clubs
    Tampa Theatre
    Wes Singletary
    West Tampa
    Ybor City

    RSS Feed

Cigar City is a Florida trademark and cannot be used without the written permission of its owner. Please contact info@cigarcitymagazine.com
 © 2021 Cigar City Magazine. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • HOME
  • STORIES
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Tampa Mafia
  • Tampa Mafia Tours