There are eight distinct periods in the history of the Island Hotel Bed & Breakfast.  These periods are:

"In The Beginning"...(1859-1865)
"Good Times"...(1865-1895)
"Bad Times"...(1896-1945)
"Now Eat Those Vegetables"...(1846-1973)
"Margaritaville"...(1973-1991)
"Recent History"...(1992-2001)
"The Intermission and A New Era"...(2002- Present)

There is a link at the bottom of each page to carry you to the next period in our history.

"In The Beginning"...(1859-1865) 

   The structure that is now the Island Hotel was built sometime between 1859 and 1860. Records indicate that Major John Parsons bought the property in 1859. It is likely that construction was finished the following year.

   The Florida pioneers who settled Cedar Key made the building to last. They mixed oyster shell, limestone and sand to pour tabby walls 10 inches thick. Massive 12-inch oak beams were framed in the basement to support the wooden structure. (Their workmanship has withstood the ravages of time for more than 140 years. The building has survived innumerable hurricanes, floods. storms and other disasters. The floors are uneven. The building contracts and expands with the seasons and has all the "aches and pains" of an elderly lady.
   Development of Cedar Key had begun in 1859 in anticipation of the prosperity that completion of the Florida Railroad was expected to bring to the port on the Gulf. Major Parsons and his partner and co-owner Francis E. Hale were among businessmen hoping to take advantage of the economic opportunity when they opened Parsons and Hale's General Store.
   The outbreak of the Civil War forced an abrupt halt to Cedar Key development. Union troops considered it a strategic port. They invaded the town and burned down almost every building that wasn't needed to quarter troops or store supplies. The fact that Parsons and Hale's General Store survived the war lends credence to the strong probability that it served as a barracks and warehouse for the Yankees. It may have been used by Confederate troops as well during the times they managed to retake Cedar Key, since building owner Major Parsons was commander of a detachment of Confederate volunteers defending the Gulf Coast against Federal gunboats and troops.

On to
"Good Times"...(1865-1895)