The threat of war burdened every American’s heart and mind. Like Mrs. Harriet Parsons James in Miami, Florence (Mrs. Robert) Spottswood of Key West went to work. A native Key Wester, she was deeply committed to the lush tropical paradise that generations of her family called home. Her father, John B. Maloney, was one of Key West’s first doctors, often making house calls on his horse.

Mrs. Spottswood knew that Key West needed a Red Cross. In April 1917, she gathered leading citizens including businessmen Francisco Fleitas, George Allen, W. S. Cash, Milton W. Curry, George Waite, attorney W. Vining Harris, doctor Joseph Y. Porter; and women leaders Mrs. William R. Warren, Miss Lilla Allen, Mrs. E.M. Phillips, Miss Mamie Wardlow and Mrs. Roy L. McKillip for an organizational meeting. Because Dade County had formed a Red Cross Chapter that included Monroe County, they initially worked within that organization. But the Key Westers wanted to strike out on their own. On July 18, 1917, President William Howard Taft signed the charter establishing the Key West Chapter of the American Red Cross.

For nearly eight decades, the Key West Chapter nourished the community. Its volunteers relieved the suffering of hurricanes and war and taught residents swimming, CPR and First Aid. In October 1973, it changed its name to the “Florida Keys Chapter” to better reflect its service area that included the Lower Keys. By the late 1980s, the chapter was grappling with economic difficulties, community visibility and low participation. Still, residents recognized the value of the Red Cross even though they could not, by themselves, maintain the chapter. So, in May 1987, the Florida Keys merged with the Greater Miami Chapter. Today, Key West volunteers continue with the same spirit Mrs. Spottswood and her co-workers demonstrated. Many members of Mrs. Spottswood’s family have followed her footsteps and remain dedicated to the cause.

Hurricane-Proof Housing

“Hurricanes are nothing to worry about if you’ve got some place to go that is safe,” Miami Congressman J. Mark Wilcox proclaimed five months after the (1935 Labor Day) storm. The national Red Cross agreed and sought to create just what Wilcox envisioned—hurricane-proof housing. Cooperating with the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), the Red Cross began constructing concrete houses for the homeless.With the American Red Cross Disaster Relief headquartered at Miami’s McAllister Hotel, the organization gathered a cadre of local workers, businessmen and professionals to design and construct 29 homes in the Keys.

The mandate was clear – build fortresses that could withstand nature’s worst blow. Concrete, imbedded deep into coral bedrock, provided the foundation and 12-inch-thick walls of steel-reinforced concrete assured the structure’s permanence. The Red Cross oversaw the construction and stayed until the families moved into their new residences.

By 1936, workers completed houses in Islamorada, Plantation Key, and Tavernier. The Red Cross asked no loans or payment for the homes, only that families own the lots. For stunned residents who lost everything in the middle of an economic depression, the Red Cross healed their spirits and gave them a new ray of hope. Today, some storm survivors still live in the 25 remaining “Red Cross Houses.”

From Crosslinked A History of the Red Cross and South Florida
By Laura Pincus and Arva Moore Parks, © 1997

Click here to learn the history of the National American Red Cross.