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Captain Tony's Saloon is a
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...
in
Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, located at 428 Greene Street. The bar has been patronized through the years by many well-known artists, writers and celebrities. When a celebrity visits, a
barstool Bar stools are a type of tall stool, often with a foot rest to support the feet. The height and narrowness of bar stools make them suitable for use at bars and high tables in pubs or bars. Before Prohibition in the United States, bar stool ...
is added that is painted with that patron's name. The bar includes barstools painted with the names of
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
,
Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics ...
,
Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
,
Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...
,
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
,
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
and
Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
, Mike Leach, among others. Above the sign outside the building is a large
Atlantic goliath grouper The Atlantic goliath grouper or itajara (''Epinephelus itajara''), also known as the jewfish, is a saltwater fish of the grouper family and one of the largest species of bony fish. The species can be found in the West Atlantic ranging from nort ...
that Captain Tony caught and had preserved. It is said that if you throw a quarter into the mouth of the fish, good luck will follow you until you leave the island.


History

The building housing Captain Tony's Saloon has a history as colorful as the town of Key West itself. When first constructed in 1852, 428 Greene Street was an ice house that doubled as the city morgue. In the 1890s, it housed a wireless telegraph station. The telegraph's most important utilization came in 1898, during the Spanish–American War. The battleship Maine was destroyed, as the news came from Havana to Key West and it was reported all over the world from this building. In 1912, the building was home to a cigar factory. Later, it was a bordello and a bar popular with the Navy until it was forced out of business. After that, it became several speakeasies, the last of which was named The Blind Pig, specializing in gambling, women, and bootleg rum. By the 1930s, a local named Josie Russell bought the business and created Sloppy Joe's Bar. This was where Ernest Hemingway spent most of his evenings between 1933 and 1937. In 1938, when the building's landlord raised the rent one dollar per week, Russell and his customers picked up the entire bar and moved everything to
Sloppy Joe's Sloppy Joe's Bar is a historic American bar in Key West, Florida, located at the corner of Greene and Duval Street since 1937. A frequent haunt of famous writer Ernest Hemingway, it is now home to the annual Hemingway Days celebration and it ...
current location at 201 Duval Street. The bar went through several iterations over the years and was finally shuttered until David Wolkowsky inherited it from his father in 1962. Wolkowsky restored the bar and named it "The Oldest Bar". In 1968,
Tony Tarracino Tony Tarracino (August 10, 1916 – November 1, 2008Matt SchudelObituary. ''Washington Post''. 16 November 2008. Page C08. Retrieved 16 November 2008.), commonly called Captain Tony, was an American saloonkeeper, boat captain, politician, gambl ...
(called Captain Tony), a local charter boat captain, purchased the bar from Wolkowsky and named it Captain Tony's Saloon. As Captain Tony's, the bar is where Jimmy Buffett got his start in Key West. Buffett played Capt. Tony's in the early 1970s and was often paid in tequila. Buffett immortalized the bar and Tarracino himself, in his song " Last Mango in Paris". On occasion, Jimmy made surprise appearances at the bar, but only performed at his own place around the corner called Margaritaville Cafe.
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
, who released the song "
Key West (Philosopher Pirate) "Key West (Philosopher Pirate)" is a song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as the ninth track on his thirty-ninth studio album, ''Rough and Rowdy Ways'' (2020). The tracks for the album were written by ...
" in 2020, has frequented the cafe over the years, resulting in his name being painted on a bar stool. Tarracino sold the bar in 1989, but continued to appear there most Thursdays to greet customers and fans until his death in November 2008. ife Lessons of a Legend, Brad Manard and Tony Tarracino/ref>


Popular culture

* ''The Conch that Roared'', Gregory W. King * ''Jimmy Buffett: The Man from Margaritaville Revealed'', Steve Eng * Jimmy Buffett includes a reference to the bar in the song "Last Mango in Paris" *''Panama'',
Thomas McGuane Thomas Francis McGuane III (born December 11, 1939) is an American writer. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors. He is a member of the American A ...


References


External links


Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Captain Tony'S Saloon Buildings and structures in Key West, Florida Landmarks in Key West, Florida History of Key West, Florida Tourist attractions in Key West, Florida Drinking establishments in Florida 1958 establishments in Florida