An interesting blast from the past

This map of Coconut Grove, done by the late Ursula Hendendahl Hughs, shows the waterfront in Peacock Park at lower left. The map was done circa 1980. As you can see there are shelters at the water's edge. I remember these. There were picnic tables under the shelters and my friends and I would hang out there sometimes, overlooking the water. There were no mangroves or obstructed views.

The baseball diamond was right next to the shelters. I remember the baseball diamond because I watched them film a scene from the movie Absense of Malice there in 1980. The movie, staring Paul Newman and Sally Field came out in 1981. I remember seeing the movie in New York with my cousins and I remember being proud of pointing out all the Miami scenes throughout the movie, especially the scene in Peacock Park, since I was present on that day.

You can see how the whole waterfront was open. Even the horseshoe area next to the sailing club was wide open for beautiful bay views. It's a shame that mangroves were planted there a few years later, and now the waterfront is blocked. It's just an interesting thing to note, because it just shows that the waterfront was always open, even all the way up around to The Barnacle, which would be to the left, beyond the park.

AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt is working on a current map of the Grove. When that's done, we'll share it here first.