The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden 80 Years In The Making – 1936 to 2016 Second In A Five-Part Series

After such an auspicious beginning, the Botanical Garden fell victim to City and federal government administrative needs. In response to WWII, in 1945, 5.5 acres were deeded to the federal government for a war-time hospital, which later became the Monroe County General Hospital in 1951.   Additional acres were ceded to the Aqueduct Commission for water storage tanks, the Mosquito Control Board offices, and golf course expansion. Post-war neglect took its toll and by 1960 there were only 11 out of the original 55 acres left, knee-deep in weeds.

Led by the Monroe County Audubon Society, a restoration plan was presented to the City Commission in August 1960. The Advisory Council for the restoration was composed of ten organizations –Monroe County Audubon Society, Key West Garden Club, Key West Woman’s Club, Old Island Restoration Foundation Society, Key West Business & Professional Women’s Club, Key West Soroptimist’s Club, Monroe General Hospital Auxiliary, Xi Alpha Theta Exemplar Chapter, Key West Lion’s Club, Key West Chamber of Commerce. Work began in December of that year, with cleaning up of trails, buildings, and identification and tagging of plants. The formal “reopening” of the Garden was celebrated on January 29, 1961.

For the next four years, the Garden thrived and fulfilled its role as both a tourist and local community attraction. Then in September of 1965 Hurricane Betsy, an especially erratic storm, struck. Betsy became the first hurricane in the Atlantic Basin to cause more than $1 billion in damages.

[Arnold L.; United States Weather Bureau (March 1966). “The Hurricane Season of 1965” (PDF). Monthly Weather Review (Miami, Florida: American Meteorological Society) 94 (3): 183–191.] The damage incurred and resulting loss of funds signaled the beginning of another period of ongoing neglect, with the place labeled a “weed garden” by The Miami Herald in a lead article of July 12th, 1968.

Again, concerned individuals raised the alarm and by 1972 the Key West Garden Club signed a lease with the City of Key West to become the guardians of the Garden. Relying on Club members and volunteer groups, including the Naval Air Station (NAS) Marine Guard Unit of NAS Key West, serious clearing and replanting began in May, 1973. Mary Malone, lead Club member in the restoration efforts, noted “the Club has bought about all the garden tools in Key West for the project”. [Key West Citizen July 8, 1973, pg. B1]

With the Garden Club’s lease to expire in 1991, dedicated volunteers began planning in 1988 a new non-profit group to take over responsibility of the Garden stewardship. Founding members of the Key West Botanical Garden Society, as noted in the insert, included Samuel Chapin, Marjorie Chapin, Margaret Braisted, Betty Desbiens, Helen Hulbert, George DeCoster, etc.   March 1991 marks what may be considered the beginning of the current era of the Garden. With Betty Desbiens as president of the Society and her dedicated volunteers in place, a new entranceway, improved trails and possible guided garden tours were some of their first priority efforts.

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