Cigar City Magazine

  • Home
  • Cigar City Magazine

Cigar City Magazine Tampa Bay's ONLY History Magazine Cigar City Magazine is a look into Tampa's rich past.

Some photos posted on this page by Cigar City Magazine are courtesy of the Hillsborough County Public Library, The Florida State Archives, the USF Department of Special Collections, and private individual collections.

๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐๐‘๐„๐€๐Š๐ˆ๐๐† ๐๐„๐–๐’๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐–๐„ ๐€๐‘๐„ ๐’๐Ž ๐‡๐€๐๐๐˜ ๐“๐Ž ๐€๐๐๐Ž๐”๐๐‚๐„ ๐–๐„ ๐–๐ˆ๐‹๐‹ ๐๐„ ๐€ ๐’๐๐Ž๐๐’๐Ž๐‘ ๐€๐“ ๐“๐‡๐ˆ๐’ ๐˜๐„๐€๐‘'๐’ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ Ybor City Cigar Festival ๐จ๐ง ๐’๐ฎ๐ง๐...
25/02/2024

๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐๐‘๐„๐€๐Š๐ˆ๐๐† ๐๐„๐–๐’๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ

๐–๐„ ๐€๐‘๐„ ๐’๐Ž ๐‡๐€๐๐๐˜ ๐“๐Ž ๐€๐๐๐Ž๐”๐๐‚๐„ ๐–๐„ ๐–๐ˆ๐‹๐‹ ๐๐„ ๐€ ๐’๐๐Ž๐๐’๐Ž๐‘ ๐€๐“ ๐“๐‡๐ˆ๐’ ๐˜๐„๐€๐‘'๐’ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ Ybor City Cigar Festival ๐จ๐ง ๐’๐ฎ๐ง๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐ƒ๐ž๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ–, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’, ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐œ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐˜๐›๐จ๐ซ ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐‚๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐ง๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ค!

๐–๐ž ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ž๐ฑ๐œ๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž ๐ข๐ญ ๐›๐š๐œ๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ก๐š๐ง๐๐ฌ. ๐“๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐“๐š๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ก๐š๐ฌ ๐›๐ž๐ž๐ง ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’!

๐–๐ž ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž! ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐›๐š๐œ๐ค ๐Ž๐”๐‘ ๐‚๐”๐‹๐“๐”๐‘๐„, ๐Ž๐”๐‘ ๐‡๐„๐‘๐ˆ๐“๐€๐†๐„, ๐Ž๐”๐‘ ๐‡๐ˆ๐’๐“๐Ž๐‘๐˜!ยฉ

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ. ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜ https://www.yborcigarfestival.com

Check out Scott M. Deitche - Author as he gives you on a sneak peek on the Tampa Mafia Tours! The dark side of history!
20/01/2024

Check out Scott M. Deitche - Author as he gives you on a sneak peek on the Tampa Mafia Tours! The dark side of history!

The city's notorious past is on full display with the Tampa Mafia Tours, which is led by acclaimed author Scott M. Deitche.

๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐‹๐Ž๐‘๐ˆ๐ƒ๐€ ๐’๐“๐€๐“๐„ ๐๐„๐†๐‘๐Ž ๐‹๐„๐€๐†๐”๐„ ๐‚๐Ž๐๐’๐ˆ๐’๐“๐„๐ƒ ๐Ž๐… ๐’๐ˆ๐— ๐“๐„๐€๐Œ๐’ ๐๐„๐“๐–๐„๐„๐ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ• & ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ‘.๐— ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜„๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ...
07/11/2023

๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐‹๐Ž๐‘๐ˆ๐ƒ๐€ ๐’๐“๐€๐“๐„ ๐๐„๐†๐‘๐Ž ๐‹๐„๐€๐†๐”๐„ ๐‚๐Ž๐๐’๐ˆ๐’๐“๐„๐ƒ ๐Ž๐… ๐’๐ˆ๐— ๐“๐„๐€๐Œ๐’ ๐๐„๐“๐–๐„๐„๐ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ• & ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ‘.

๐— ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜„๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐— ๐—Ÿ๐—• ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ, ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ผ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป. ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐˜. ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ด ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—•๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ผ๐—ป ๐Ÿต ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐——๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—•๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„.

๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—”๐—— ๐— ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—›๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/stories/tampa-rockets-and-the-florida-state-negro-leagues

๐‘๐„๐ƒ๐ˆ๐’๐‚๐Ž๐•๐„๐‘ โ€ข ๐‘๐„๐Œ๐„๐Œ๐๐„๐‘ โ€ข ๐‘๐„๐‹๐ˆ๐•๐„ ยฉTampa Tribune Building on the northwest corner of Twiggs and Tampa Streets. The photo wa...
17/10/2023

๐‘๐„๐ƒ๐ˆ๐’๐‚๐Ž๐•๐„๐‘ โ€ข ๐‘๐„๐Œ๐„๐Œ๐๐„๐‘ โ€ข ๐‘๐„๐‹๐ˆ๐•๐„ ยฉ
Tampa Tribune Building on the northwest corner of Twiggs and Tampa Streets. The photo was taken in 1925 by the Burgert Brothers.

๐‘๐„๐ƒ๐ˆ๐’๐‚๐Ž๐•๐„๐‘ โ€ข ๐‘๐„๐Œ๐„๐Œ๐๐„๐‘ โ€ข ๐‘๐„๐‹๐ˆ๐•๐„ ยฉThis building was on the corner of Florida Avenue and Cass Street. Includes Hav-A-Tampa,...
07/10/2023

๐‘๐„๐ƒ๐ˆ๐’๐‚๐Ž๐•๐„๐‘ โ€ข ๐‘๐„๐Œ๐„๐Œ๐๐„๐‘ โ€ข ๐‘๐„๐‹๐ˆ๐•๐„ ยฉ

This building was on the corner of Florida Avenue and Cass Street. Includes Hav-A-Tampa, Crystal Lunch, Floridian Pharmacy, and Lafayette Insurance Company, 1932.

๐๐€๐“๐‘๐ˆ๐Ž๐“๐ˆ๐‚ ๐‚๐ˆ๐†๐€๐‘ ๐‹๐€๐๐„๐‹๐’From the book Patriotic Cigar-Label Art by Major Siles Bass & Edwin D. BarnesThe Independente ciga...
04/10/2023

๐๐€๐“๐‘๐ˆ๐Ž๐“๐ˆ๐‚ ๐‚๐ˆ๐†๐€๐‘ ๐‹๐€๐๐„๐‹๐’
From the book Patriotic Cigar-Label Art by Major Siles Bass & Edwin D. Barnes

The Independente cigar label courtesy of the USF Special Library Collection

Roy Rogers and his horse, Trigger, next to a horse trailer advertising the Florida State Fair, 1959.
26/09/2023

Roy Rogers and his horse, Trigger, next to a horse trailer advertising the Florida State Fair, 1959.

On May 15, 1947, Florida State College for Women, which held its first classes in 1857, was reorganized and renamed Flor...
26/09/2023

On May 15, 1947, Florida State College for Women, which held its first classes in 1857, was reorganized and renamed Florida State University. It also became a co-educational institution.

On June 14, 1826, Captain Joseph Fry, called the โ€œCuban Martyr,โ€ was born in Tampa. Fry was executed in 1873 by Spanish ...
26/09/2023

On June 14, 1826, Captain Joseph Fry, called the โ€œCuban Martyr,โ€ was born in Tampa. Fry was executed in 1873 by Spanish authorities for carrying Cuban rebels aboard his ship.

๐“๐‡๐ˆ๐ ๐๐‹๐”๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐„: ๐‡๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ž๐ง๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐“๐š๐ฆ๐ฉ๐šโ€™๐ฌ ๐…๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ญOn Sunday, July 18, 1920, officers Tranquilino Martinez and Juan Nale...
25/09/2023

๐“๐‡๐ˆ๐ ๐๐‹๐”๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐„: ๐‡๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ž๐ง๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐“๐š๐ฆ๐ฉ๐šโ€™๐ฌ ๐…๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ
On Sunday, July 18, 1920, officers Tranquilino Martinez and Juan Nales stopped and questioned a โ€œsuspicious characterโ€ near the Tampa-Cuba cigar factory on the corner of Armenia Avenue and Pine Street in West Tampa. Nales arrested the man and escorted the suspect to the West Tampa jail on the corner of Main and Albany. Thatโ€™s when Martinez, following a short distance behind Nales, heard the shots.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/thin-blue-line-honoring-one-of-west-tampas-finest

๐–๐„๐’๐“ ๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€ ๐€๐๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‚๐ˆ๐†๐€๐‘ ๐“๐‡๐€๐“ ๐’๐๐€๐‘๐Š๐„๐ƒ ๐€ ๐‘๐„๐•๐Ž๐‹๐”๐“๐ˆ๐Ž๐In West Tampa, Cuban cigar workers and political organizers plotted an...
25/09/2023

๐–๐„๐’๐“ ๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€ ๐€๐๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‚๐ˆ๐†๐€๐‘ ๐“๐‡๐€๐“ ๐’๐๐€๐‘๐Š๐„๐ƒ ๐€ ๐‘๐„๐•๐Ž๐‹๐”๐“๐ˆ๐Ž๐
In West Tampa, Cuban cigar workers and political organizers plotted and planned their uprising against the Spanish colonial government in Cuba. The first mayor of West Tampa, Fernando Figueredo, worked as the head bookkeeper for the O'Halloran Cigar Factory on the corner of Howard and Albany.

In 1895, as the Cuban revolutionary effort gained momentum, Figueredo was named treasurer of the Cuban Revolutionary Party in Tampa.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„

https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/west-tampa-and-the-cigar-that-sparked-a-revolution

๐๐ˆ๐‘๐“๐‡ ๐Ž๐… ๐€ ๐‚๐Ž๐‹๐‹๐„๐†๐„ ๐…๐Ž๐Ž๐“๐๐€๐‹๐‹ ๐ƒ๐˜๐๐€๐’๐“๐˜: ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ• ๐…๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐š ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐…๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐›๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐’๐ž๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌIn the midst of major league baseball's fi...
24/09/2023

๐๐ˆ๐‘๐“๐‡ ๐Ž๐… ๐€ ๐‚๐Ž๐‹๐‹๐„๐†๐„ ๐…๐Ž๐Ž๐“๐๐€๐‹๐‹ ๐ƒ๐˜๐๐€๐’๐“๐˜: ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ• ๐…๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐š ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐…๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐›๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐’๐ž๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ
In the midst of major league baseball's final tilt that autumn, a subway series nonetheless, and as students prepared to report for classes in Tallahassee, word came that the newly organized Florida State University would field a football team that season, and within only six weeks! It wasn't possible, believed some. Who cares, thought others.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/birth-of-a-college-football-dynasty-the-1947-florida-state-football-seminoles

๐…๐„๐‘๐‹๐ˆ๐“๐€ ๐Œ๐€๐‚๐€๐‘๐Ž๐๐ˆ ๐‚๐Ž๐Œ๐๐€๐๐˜As a young man, Giuseppe R. Ferlita dreamed of immigrating to America and becoming successful. I...
24/09/2023

๐…๐„๐‘๐‹๐ˆ๐“๐€ ๐Œ๐€๐‚๐€๐‘๐Ž๐๐ˆ ๐‚๐Ž๐Œ๐๐€๐๐˜
As a young man, Giuseppe R. Ferlita dreamed of immigrating to America and becoming successful. In 1905, Giuseppe, with only a third-grade education, arrived at Ellis Island as a teenager.

Emigrating from Santo Stefano Quisquina, Sicily, with his family, he joined relatives who had previously settled in Tampa. Giuseppe first worked as a cigar maker until his father purchased a bakery in West Tampa. During this period, he married his childhood sweetheart, Maria Paola Ficarrotta.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/ferlita-macaroni-company

๐…๐ˆ๐†๐‡๐“ ๐๐ˆ๐†๐‡๐“ ๐ˆ๐ ๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€Boxing in Tampa has a rich and storied history. When cigar makers Vicente Martinez Ybor and Ignacio ...
23/09/2023

๐…๐ˆ๐†๐‡๐“ ๐๐ˆ๐†๐‡๐“ ๐ˆ๐ ๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€
Boxing in Tampa has a rich and storied history. When cigar makers Vicente Martinez Ybor and Ignacio Haya first moved their cigar factories from Key West to Tampa, Italian, Cuban, and Spanish workers followed. The closeness of the cultures helped breed a passion for the sport, and before long, boxing matches became as common and popular as the local bolita number game.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/fight-night-in-tampa

๐๐Ž๐’๐“๐‚๐€๐‘๐ƒ๐’ ๐…๐‘๐Ž๐Œ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐„๐ƒ๐†๐„: ๐Š๐ž๐ฒ ๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐Ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ-๐’๐ž๐š ๐‘๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐ซ๐จ๐š๐"Flagler's Folly" is what they called it: A r...
22/09/2023

๐๐Ž๐’๐“๐‚๐€๐‘๐ƒ๐’ ๐…๐‘๐Ž๐Œ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐„๐ƒ๐†๐„: ๐Š๐ž๐ฒ ๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐Ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ-๐’๐ž๐š ๐‘๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐ซ๐จ๐š๐
"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 Stateโ€“the Florida East Coast Railwayโ€“was his most celebrated work, laying hundreds of miles of track and linking Florida's eastern and southern parts with the civilized world.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/postcards-from-the-edge-key-west-and-the-building-of-the-over-sea-railroad

๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€ '๐ˆ๐Œ๐๐‘๐„๐’๐’๐ˆ๐Ž๐๐’'In 1897, writer, social commentator, and beisbolero (baseball player) Wenceslao Gรกlvez y del Monte ("...
20/09/2023

๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€ '๐ˆ๐Œ๐๐‘๐„๐’๐’๐ˆ๐Ž๐๐’'
In 1897, writer, social commentator, and beisbolero (baseball player) Wenceslao Gรกlvez y del Monte ("Wen Gรกlvez") published a small, first-person narrative entitled Tampa: Impresiones de Emigrado. The work critically observes Tampa and its residents. It is one of several turn-of-the-century, Spanish-language publications giving an account of Old Tampaโ€“from its dusty roads to its marble facades.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/tampa-impressions

๐…๐‘๐Ž๐Œ ๐‚๐„๐ƒ๐€๐‘ ๐“๐Ž ๐‚๐ˆ๐†๐€๐‘๐’In the early days of Tampa, you could stand on the banks of the Hillsborough River, and if the wind ...
20/09/2023

๐…๐‘๐Ž๐Œ ๐‚๐„๐ƒ๐€๐‘ ๐“๐Ž ๐‚๐ˆ๐†๐€๐‘๐’
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 ci**rs.

Along with leading the nation in producing "Clear" or "Puro Havana" ci**rs, Tampa was also a leading producer of cedar cigar boxes and was home to one the world's largest box manufacturers, Tampa Box Company.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
cigarcitymagazine.com/home/from-cedar-to-ci**rs

**rs **rs

๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‘๐Ž๐Ž๐’๐“๐„๐‘ ๐…๐”๐๐„๐‘๐€๐‹: ๐†๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐˜๐›๐จ๐ซ ๐’๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐‚๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐€๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญTommy Stephens sat on the patio by his house, watching the first...
19/09/2023

๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‘๐Ž๐Ž๐’๐“๐„๐‘ ๐…๐”๐๐„๐‘๐€๐‹: ๐†๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐˜๐›๐จ๐ซ ๐’๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐‚๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐€๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ

Tommy Stephens sat on the patio by his house, watching the first of many nightly visitors to arrive in Ybor City. Leaning back in his chair and nursing a beer, he points to a couple of tourists as they watch a chicken try to fly up a tree next to their car.

Stephens chuckles. "The chicken's life span is short. If it's not dogs or cars, it's the hawks," he says. "People love the chickens, though. They never seem to get enough of them."

๐‚๐‡๐„๐‚๐Š ๐Ž๐”๐“ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‘๐Ž๐Ž๐’๐“๐„๐‘ ๐…๐”๐๐„๐‘๐€๐‹ ๐•๐ˆ๐ƒ๐„๐Ž ๐ˆ๐ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐’๐“๐Ž๐‘๐˜

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/the-rooster-funeral-giving-ybor-something-to-crow-about

๐–๐‡๐„๐ ๐…๐‹๐Ž๐‘๐ˆ๐ƒ๐€ ๐‹๐„๐…๐“ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐”๐๐ˆ๐Ž๐Over 162 years ago, Floridaโ€™s secession occurred from the United States. Florida followed Sou...
16/09/2023

๐–๐‡๐„๐ ๐…๐‹๐Ž๐‘๐ˆ๐ƒ๐€ ๐‹๐„๐…๐“ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐”๐๐ˆ๐Ž๐
Over 162 years ago, Floridaโ€™s secession occurred from the United States. Florida followed South Carolina and Mississippi and was the third state to leave the Union. The Civil War began three months later when Southern forces fired on Union-held Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

The opening shots of the war were almost directed at Fort Pickens in Pensacola Harbor, but President Abraham Lincoln decided to resupply the South Carolina fort instead.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/when-florida-left-the-union

๐ƒ๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐†๐‘๐„๐‚๐Ž ๐•๐’. ๐๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐๐”๐‚๐‚๐ˆ๐ŽLong before Mayor Dick Greco was attempting to become the oldest Mayor in the history of Tampa...
16/09/2023

๐ƒ๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐†๐‘๐„๐‚๐Ž ๐•๐’. ๐๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐๐”๐‚๐‚๐ˆ๐Ž
Long before Mayor Dick Greco was attempting to become the oldest Mayor in the history of Tampa, he was the youngest. Before he boasted of the experience he would bring to the mayoral position, he was the mayor with little experience. Before he was a political legend with his own statue, he had to defeat a political legend that was posthumously honored with a statue.

Before he became Mayor Dick Greco, he had to defeat Mayor Nick Nuccio in the 1967 mayoral election, one of the hottest elections the city of Tampa has ever seen, an election that billed the young, handsome upstart against the old political legend. It was a heavyweight battle that changed the history of the city of Tampa forever. And it was a battle that started in 1963 when Mayor Dick Greco was known as City Councilman Dick Greco.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/dick-greco-vs-nick-nuccio


๐‚๐”๐’๐‚๐€๐ƒ๐„๐ ๐๐€๐‘๐Š: ๐˜๐›๐จ๐ซ ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ'๐ฌ ๐…๐ข๐ž๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ƒ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฆ๐ฌIf Ybor City's backbone was its cigar factories, Cuscaden Park was its heart. ...
15/09/2023

๐‚๐”๐’๐‚๐€๐ƒ๐„๐ ๐๐€๐‘๐Š: ๐˜๐›๐จ๐ซ ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ'๐ฌ ๐…๐ข๐ž๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ƒ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฆ๐ฌ
If Ybor City's backbone was its cigar factories, Cuscaden Park was its heart. The park still exists today, though it is a faint shadow of its former self. Its 500-seat capacity grandstand was demolished, and its baseball fields gave way to soccer fields. To drive past the park today, some would never know that this field was once Ybor City's Field of Dreams.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/cuscaden-park-ybor-citys-field-of-dreams

๐๐Ž๐‹๐ˆ๐“๐€Bolita, meaning little ball, was a game of chance imported from Cuba around the turn of the 20th century. Numbers ...
13/09/2023

๐๐Ž๐‹๐ˆ๐“๐€
Bolita, meaning little ball, was a game of chance imported from Cuba around the turn of the 20th century. Numbers were sold throughout the week at various Ybor City and West Tampa locations. You could buy a ticket at corner grocery stores, local restaurants, or barbershops, while bolita peddlers often visited cigar factories on paydays to sell numbers to the workers.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/bolita

๐๐”๐‹๐‹๐…๐ˆ๐†๐‡๐“๐ˆ๐๐† ๐ˆ๐ ๐˜๐๐Ž๐‘ ๐‚๐ˆ๐“๐˜?!Before city leaders envisioned Ybor City as a residential and shopping district, they boasted...
13/09/2023

๐๐”๐‹๐‹๐…๐ˆ๐†๐‡๐“๐ˆ๐๐† ๐ˆ๐ ๐˜๐๐Ž๐‘ ๐‚๐ˆ๐“๐˜?!
Before city leaders envisioned Ybor City as a residential and shopping district, they boasted about bullfights.

"It was how we were going to save Ybor City," explained former Mayor Dick Greco.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/bullfighting-in-ybor-city

๐“๐‡๐„ ๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€ ๐’๐Œ๐Ž๐Š๐„๐‘๐’From 1946-1953, Tampa residents were elated by the Florida International Leagueโ€™s Class B baseball club...
10/09/2023

๐“๐‡๐„ ๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€ ๐’๐Œ๐Ž๐Š๐„๐‘๐’
From 1946-1953, Tampa residents were elated by the Florida International Leagueโ€™s Class B baseball club, the Tampa Smokers. They hit their peak during the post-war boom.

The Smokers packed Plant Fieldโ€“todayโ€™s Pepin/Rood Stadium on North Boulevardโ€“when the Havana Cubans came to the Cigar City to play before boisterous, stogie-chomping fans. The Havana Cubans had a Tampa contingent of supporters with broad-brimmed straw hats to cheer them on.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/the-tampa-smokers

๐ˆ๐๐“๐„๐‘-๐’๐Ž๐‚๐ˆ๐€๐‹ ๐‹๐„๐€๐†๐”๐„Tampa and Baseball are like cafรฉ and leche: one strong, pungent, hot, steady, ageless, fresh; neither...
10/09/2023

๐ˆ๐๐“๐„๐‘-๐’๐Ž๐‚๐ˆ๐€๐‹ ๐‹๐„๐€๐†๐”๐„
Tampa and Baseball are like cafรฉ and leche: one strong, pungent, hot, steady, ageless, fresh; neither quite as good apart as they are together. It is hardly possible to find a moment in the city's history when the game was not being played, when it didn't matter, particularly to Tampa's Latin working class.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/inter-social-league

๐„๐‹ ๐‹๐„๐‚๐“๐Ž๐‘: ๐๐ˆ๐‹๐‹๐˜ ๐’๐”๐๐ƒ๐€๐˜ ๐€๐๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‘๐ˆ๐•๐„๐‘ ๐Ž๐… ๐๐„๐„๐‘Billy Sunday has been downtown preaching for the past couple of days, as Iโ€™...
09/09/2023

๐„๐‹ ๐‹๐„๐‚๐“๐Ž๐‘: ๐๐ˆ๐‹๐‹๐˜ ๐’๐”๐๐ƒ๐€๐˜ ๐€๐๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‘๐ˆ๐•๐„๐‘ ๐Ž๐… ๐๐„๐„๐‘
Billy Sunday has been downtown preaching for the past couple of days, as Iโ€™m sure youโ€™ve all noticed,โ€ I began, pausing for the dismissive mumbling and laughter to clear the room. โ€œIndeed, the aptly named Mr. Sunday has come to town to save your wretched soulsโ€ฆat least thatโ€™s what he says. Mr. Sunday has a bit of what you might call a colored past.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/el-lector-billy-sunday-and-the-river-of-beer


๐…๐‘๐Ž๐Œ ๐๐€๐’๐„๐๐€๐‹๐‹ ๐“๐Ž ๐๐„๐ˆ๐’๐๐Ž๐‹: ๐€๐Œ๐„๐‘๐ˆ๐‚๐€'๐’ ๐๐€๐’๐“๐ˆ๐Œ๐„ ๐ˆ๐ ๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€Before spring training became the Florida mainstay it is today, base...
07/09/2023

๐…๐‘๐Ž๐Œ ๐๐€๐’๐„๐๐€๐‹๐‹ ๐“๐Ž ๐๐„๐ˆ๐’๐๐Ž๐‹: ๐€๐Œ๐„๐‘๐ˆ๐‚๐€'๐’ ๐๐€๐’๐“๐ˆ๐Œ๐„ ๐ˆ๐ ๐“๐€๐Œ๐๐€
Before spring training became the Florida mainstay it is today, baseball began taking root in the Tampa Bay area late in the 19th century. A.M. de Quesada's book, Baseball in Tampa Bay, notes how Union and Confederate soldiers brought the game to the Sunshine State when they returned home from the Civil War. Tampa had a team in the first short-lived Florida State League in 1892.

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/from-baseball-to-beisbol-americas-pastime-in-tampa

๐‹๐Ž๐’๐“ ๐‹๐€๐๐ƒ๐Œ๐€๐‘๐ŠThis theater, located in downtown Tampa, was demolished in the early 2000s. Built in the Spanish Colonial s...
05/09/2023

๐‹๐Ž๐’๐“ ๐‹๐€๐๐ƒ๐Œ๐€๐‘๐Š

This theater, located in downtown Tampa, was demolished in the early 2000s. Built in the Spanish Colonial style in 1917 and opened in 1918, it remained a working theater and movie house into the late 1940s.

What can guess this Lost Landmark?

๐๐€๐‚๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐๐€๐’๐ˆ๐‚๐’: ๐‹๐„๐€๐‘๐๐ˆ๐๐† ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐๐ƒ๐€๐Œ๐„๐๐“๐€๐‹๐’ ๐–๐ˆ๐“๐‡ ๐‰๐„๐…๐…๐„๐‘๐’๐Ž๐ ๐‡๐ˆ๐†๐‡ ๐’๐‚๐‡๐Ž๐Ž๐‹ ๐๐€๐’๐„๐๐€๐‹๐‹ ๐‚๐Ž๐€๐‚๐‡ ๐๐Ž๐ ๐‚๐”๐„๐’๐“๐€Pop Cuesta is standing in ...
05/09/2023

๐๐€๐‚๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐๐€๐’๐ˆ๐‚๐’: ๐‹๐„๐€๐‘๐๐ˆ๐๐† ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐๐ƒ๐€๐Œ๐„๐๐“๐€๐‹๐’ ๐–๐ˆ๐“๐‡ ๐‰๐„๐…๐…๐„๐‘๐’๐Ž๐ ๐‡๐ˆ๐†๐‡ ๐’๐‚๐‡๐Ž๐Ž๐‹ ๐๐€๐’๐„๐๐€๐‹๐‹ ๐‚๐Ž๐€๐‚๐‡ ๐๐Ž๐ ๐‚๐”๐„๐’๐“๐€
Pop Cuesta is standing in the middle of Jefferson High School's baseball field, just like he has for the past 37 years, watching about 20 firstโ€“and second-year students practice the hook slide, wondering what happened to the fundamentals. He shakes his head as one kid runs toward an imaginary second base and plows into the ground like a sleepy water buffalo. Pop shakes his head. He sends the young junior varsity players on a run around the outfield perimeter. "Let's go, son! Get moving," he shouts calmly. He gathers them around first base and asks, "Does anyone know what a one-way lead is?" He shakes his head again as only a few kids raise their hands. They listen closely as Popโ€“Coach Cuesta to themโ€“goes over the fundamentals of base running. "Fundamentals," he will repeat repeatedly during the two-hour practice, "base running, bunting, sliding. Nobody taught them to you, so I'll have to teach you all."

๐‚๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐Š ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐“๐Ž ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐…๐”๐‹๐‹ ๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„
https://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/home/back-to-basics-learning-the-fundamentals-with-jefferson-high-school-baseball-coach-pop-cuesta

Address

FL

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cigar City Magazine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Cigar City Magazine:

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Telephone
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?

Share

Our Story

Cigar Cityโ„ข magazine is a look at the Tampa Bay areaโ€™s rich past. Though we no longer do a printed version of Cigar City Magazine, you can still read all the great stories at www.cigarcitymagazine.com