Key West History: Dec. 20, 1996 - Key West's Grand Dame and Matriarch Dies - a podcast by 43 Keys Media

By the early 1970s, when the fabrics and designs of Lilly Pulitzer were retail and media darlings, Tony Falcone started coming to Key West with his partner, Bill Conkle. Eventually, they decided to open up a store. It was called Fast Buck Freddie's and it was on Key West's main drag, Duval street. They opened at a time when many other stores on Duval Street were closing. They tapped into the new chic money that was just starting to discover Key West, with it's fabulous old houses built in its late 19th century heyday, and supplied housewares for all of those renovations.

But in the summer all the business died and Falcone says they would not have made it through except for local matriarch, Mary Spottswood. "She would come in and buy everythin - wine glasses, placements and tons of housewares that she didn't even need." She did it only to try and keep us alive. Falcone said, "she would come in, we had a long table and a big fan chair behind it, and then some stools in front of it. And she would just come in and just sit and talk to us for hours."

Well, that was classic Mary Spottswood. Mary and her husband John lived at 531 Caroline Street in what is known today as the John M. Spottswood House. They moved into the house in the 1940's and she raised her three sons and a daughter there. Mary's grandchildren are now seventh generation conchs!

Mary was active in the community. She was involved in the Montessori School and was always taking on charitable endeavors. She was a member of the Laureate Delta chapter of Beta Sigma Phi and she opened her home to many other charitable organizations and social events were continually being held at the Spottswood home. The society pages of the newspaper during the 1980's were full of mentions of all the charitable deeds of Mary Spottswood.

She was a longtime friend and supporter of Bayview Manor. She was a hospitable woman and she loved doing things for other people. She was constantly involved in fundraising for organizations in town that were closest to her heart.

In the 1960's John Spottswood began his first foray into real estate development with the purchase of the Casa Marina and La Concha hotels. John and Mary Spottswood also became friends with Harry and Bess Truman. You'll remember that Harry Truman spent many vacations as president in Key West and John s and Mary Spottswood were some of the people that were frequently at dinner together with Harry and Bess Truman. It's not every day that you can live on a tiny island and yet still be friends and dinner companions with the most powerful man in the world.

You can find reminders of Mary Spottswood all over Key West and even at the Mary abnd John Spottswood Waterfront Park located in the city.

And it was today December the 20th, 1996, that Mary Spottswood, the island's grand dame, matriarch and First Lady died at the age of 73. Her late husband John had been Sheriff of the county, a state senator, and also started Cable Vision, one of the first cable systems in the country.

And that's what happened today in Key West history. Today in Key West History is brought to you by 43 Keys Media. If you want to learn more about Key West history and the people who put it on the map, visit http://43keys.com.

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