Welcome to Harry T's!

For more information contact Harry T's at:

46 Harbor Blvd.
Destin, Florida
850.654.4800

The History of Harry T´s

In 1902, at the age of twelve, young Harrison Babe left his home in Buffalo, New York and joined the Miller Brothers Circus. By age nineteen he was the featured high-wire performer for the circus and billed as “The Flying Harry T”. His career as an aerialist ended three years later, in 1912, when Harry had a near fatal fall. Having wintered with the circus in Florida, Harry T. was captivated by the white sands of the Gulf Coast, so in 1913, with insurance money from the accident, he purchased land in Destin, Florida and built a boat house on its shores.

THE MILLER BROTHERS CIRCUS (ON PLAQUE MEMORABILIA)

The circus memorabilia on display at Harry T´s are reminders of his brief but brilliant career as a trapeze artist with the Miller Brothers Circus. In 1913, he purchased six acres of land on East Pass Lagoon where he built his now famous boat house. The boat house was destroyed in the hurricane of ´33.

TAPPIN´ TEDDY

Now THAT, is quite a story. The animal trainer, Jim Nasium, and I were awakened in the middle of the night by Mr. Miller who was frantically urging us to move quickly so we wouldn´t miss the next train.

The locomotive had already started moving, we had to run alongside it and jump on, literally falling into our seats. When we were settled, Mr. Miller explained that we were going to California to pick up a new act for the circus from his old friend, “Steers” Horgan, who owned a cattle ranch there.

Apparently, Teddy was just an adolescent brown bear when he first appeared at the ranch, and he soon became a “house-pest”. Nothing serious, just got into bear mischief, like running through the clothesline on laundry day, eating pies put out to cool, tipping over sleeping cows… stuff like that. But he had done some very good deeds, too. He liked keeping coyotes away from calves that were born out in the field with only a fence to protect them.

Steers´ niece, Ethel, and her husband, Wade, went out for a visit that turned into a stay after Wade got hooked on the wide open spaces. Ethel was the one who named the bear Teddy. He´d taken a real shine to her and she could get him to do things that were quite “unbearable”, like getting up on his hind legs and dancing. Yes, dancing! Ethel had a little music box that played the “Lonesome Prairie Waltz,” and the two of them would spin ‘round and ‘round, bowing and curtsying to one another.

Mr. Miller then showed us the telegram he´d received, which said that the Sunday before a young couple happened into the ranch property for an un-chaperoned picnic. I believe all bears are born with picnic basket radar, and Teddy was just being a bear. Unfortunately, the young lovers did not see it that way, and ran off screaming–which did not phase Teddy one bit. He sat himself down and ate everything but the basket.

Even more unfortunate, however, was the basket belonging to the sheriff´s daughter, who told her daddy “That bear bust be destroyed before someone gets hurt!” Finally, we found out why we were rushing to California; to get Teddy before someone else did.

The rest is Miller Brothers´ history. Jim Nasium also taught Teddy to polka to “Roll Out the Barrel.” If you ask me, take away the music and outfits, both his waltz and polka looked alike. Yet the polka was the real crowd pleaser; folks would clap and stomp so hard, we thought the tent would fall down! What a great act! Teddy was truly the Fred Astaire of dancing bears!

THE ARRIVAL OF STRETCH(1916)

While traveling with the Miller Bros. Circus, Harry T. developed a close friendship with Stretch, a gentle giraffe, and the animal star of the circus. One night outside Chillicothe, Ohio, the animal escaped from his special, topless cage and outran all who pursued him.

One of Harry T´s favorite stories was how he found Stretch in a nearby field, and coaxed him back into captivity with a large handful of lettuce leaves. From that day on, Harry T. regularly fed Stretch and an enduring friendship developed between these two circus performers.

Upon leaving the circus after his tragic fall in 1912, Mr. Miller, the circus owner, asked Harry T. in jest if he would like to take Stretch with him. Harry T. declined. However, in 1916 when Stretch died, Mr. Miller had Stretch mounted and placed in the back room of the boat house while Harry T. was away on business, as a practical joke. From that time on, Stretch dominated the back room and greeted all who entered.

THE GREAT WAR YEARS (1917-1919)

In 1917, after President Wilson made his famous “War” address to Congress, Harry T. volunteered for the service of his country. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and arranged his nephew, Thomas, to operate the boat house during his absence. He trained to be an aviator and became part of the famous 103rd Pursuit Squadron. He spent most of his tour of duty in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey. On an inland reconnaissance mission, he was shot down, captured, and spent ten months as a prisoner of the Turks.

Just prior to the War´s end, he engineered a daring escape for which he received numerous military awards. Back on the home front, nephew Thomas followed his uncle´s travels across Europe and from the store of the boat house led the entire northern half of Florida in the sale of Liberty Bonds.

HARRY T. BABE GIVEN “ATTATURK” AWARD! (1919)

Harry T. Babe became a part of history on October 14, 1919 when Emir Mohammed Attaturk awarded him the Turkish Medal of Honor for outstanding valor for the rescue of his captors during his imprisonment in the village of Eskesheir, Turkey. The previous year, Harry T. had engineered an escape attempt but using his acrobatic expertise, somersaulted through a window to rescue the Turkish guards he had endangered with the diversionary fire he had started. Emir Attaturk, when presenting the medal, commented “Never have I seen such incredible courage!” Attaboy Harry!

THE MEERSHAUM PIPE COLLECTION (1920)

Harry T´s prison term was spent near the Turkish village, Eskisheir. Through an unusual series of events, he was befriended by his former captors. He planned an escape and led fourteen of his comrades to freedom. However, because of this man´s unique character, he could not join his friends. When the fire, which was started as a diversion, raged out of control, Harry T. went back to help those trapped in the holocaust. He was severely injured and recaptured. But his captures were so awed by this display of unselfish valor, that they gently nursed him back to health. The war ended before Harry T. was fully recovered, so his Turkish friends urged him to stay with them while he continued to regain his strength. He spent nearly a year working in the village of Eskishehir as a fisherman. While there, he was introduced to the world famous Meerschaum pipe, and by 1933 he had the world´s largest collection of these exquisitely carved pipes. A majority of his collection was lost in the hurricane, the rest are still displayed.

BABE´S PAVILION (1923-1948)

Babe´s Pavilion was built by Thomas and Jennifer Babe. Completed in 1923, the larger “land-ship” structure was located twelve miles east of the boathouse on Choctawhatchee Bay. From the mid 1920´s to the mid 1940´s, the pavilion served as the resort capital of the Gulf Coast. Unlike many coastal facilities of its kind, which traditionally opened June first and closed on Labor Day, Babe´s Pavilion enjoyed an extended season; opening early in March and extending its program well into October. During the last twenty years of operation it even opened its doors to special Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years events. However, the most celebrated day at Babe´s Pavilion was always the Fourth of July. In its´ heyday the annual celebration of The Fourth attracted over 7,000 visitors to the area.

In 1948, a damaging fire closed Babe´s to the public and was completely demolished the following year. On New Year´s Day in 1949, only a few pilings served as a monument to the once famous pavilion.

THE FLYING HARRY T (1924)

At a government auction in 1924, Harry T. acquired his famous power boat confiscated by federal agents during Prohibition. The boat, designed and built by Jay Zeigler in 1925, was thought to be one of the fastest boats on the gulf. Although it was rumored that he paid less than $500 for the craft, Harry T. never revealed the exact amount of winning bid.

“The Flying Harry T” served mainly as a small pleasure boat for afternoon cruises (a twelve mile trip from the boathouse to Babe´s and back). It was also involved in many off-shore rescue operations. The speed of the craft, coupled with Harry´s seamanship, resulted in several successful missions.

WALKER THE DOLPHIN (1925)

A pod of dolphins made their home between the gulf and the bay in 1925. The pod consisted of a mother (cow), a father (bull), one baby dolphin (calf), along with several other members of the extended family. The dolphins were friendly and enjoyed cruising the harbor, always bustling with human activity from the Pelican Point Cannery to Harry T´s Boathouse. In fact, the family frequently joined The Flying Harry T on its sunset tour, joyfully surfing along the boat´s wake.

Young and old, the dolphins delighted locals and tourists alike with their spirited games; chasing one another, carrying floating objects around that they had found, and tossing seaweed at one another.

One of the young male dolphins had a special trick of “walking on water”, for which he used his powerful flukes for balance and movement. Harry was particularly fond of him, and named him Walker. Harry´s favorite thing about the dolphin was that when he would whistle for him, Walker would imitate Harry´s whistle in reply.

One day, Harry and Thomas went out fishing in Thomas´ skiff. They had already caught a few fish when the wind suddenly shifted, the air turned warm, and they found themselves in fog as thick as Harry´s crap soup. The pair pulled their lines in and started the little Evenrude motor which propelled them two feet, then sputtering, came to a hault. No tinkering could get the motor started again, so they unleashed the oars and began to row for home… but, which direction WAS home? Without seeing the shoreline, chances were likely that they´d be rowing in the wrong direction.

In his despair, Harry involuntarily let out a low whistle. Three seconds later he couldn´t believe his ears when he heard Walker echo in reply. They peered over the sides of the boat and saw they were surrounded by Walker and several of the other dolphins who where gently nudging the boat to the left. Using their oars, the men also steered the boat to the left and realized that had been guided into a tidal stream, going towards shore.

Back at the boathouse, nobody believed their story, calling it “Just another of Harry´s crazy fish stories.”

A few years later, when the “Thracia” luxury cruise liner sank off the coast of Destin, the dolphin joined Harry and the armada of fishing boats in protecting the unfortunate people who had fallen overboard from sharks, who were attracted to the commotion. The dolphins held the sharks at bay by spearing into the sharks´ bellies with their snouts until all the people were pulled out of the water to safety. One woman claimed that she would have surely drowned had it not been for the dolphin who kept her head above water by supporting her with his right flipper.

After reading these accounts in the newspaper, everyone realized that Harry´s dolphin story wasn´t so crazy after all. They begged him to tell it again and again, listening in amazement.

The average dolphins´ life-span is 25 years and about 40 is the longest recorded. You can still see Walker´s family descendants “living in a state of sheer and exuberant joy of being alive” in the local area waters.

THE SUNSET TOURS (1926)

In 1926, Harry T. and nephew, Thomas, started a tour business which enabled visitors to the area to enjoy the beautiful sunsets which daily emblazoned the waters of Choctawhatchee Bay. Generally the tour originated at the boathouse in late afternoon and crossed the bay to Babe´s Pavilion about twelve miles to the east. After dining at Babe´s, the party returned to “The Flying Harry T” for an unforgettable return cruise across the bay into the setting sun. For many a visitor to the gulf shores, the Sunset Tours on Choctawhatchee Bay was by far their most memorable experience.

SALVAGE OF THE THRACIA (1972)

The luxury cruise liner, Thracia, sank off the coast of Destin, Florida on April 12th, 1927. Launched by the Allen Line in 1908, the Thracia was far larger than earlier four-stackers of the era. Spontaneous combustion in coal-bunkers cause the 31k ton liner to sink eight miles off the Destin coast. Due to heroic efforts of Captain Babe, and several other local captains, all 2113 passengers and crew members were brought to safety. As a result of his leadership in this rescue mission, Cpt. Babe was awarded first salvage rights to the Thracia. Harry used the small davits (on back bar suspended glass racks) for boat repair. He gave the finer brass items, bar lights, wall sconces, back bar columns, and chandelier, to his nephew for use at the pavilion. Ironically, the name Thracia designated the Roman province of the present day countries of Greece and Turkey, and area of the world which played such an important part of Harry´s life during WWI.

THE BACKROOM (1922-1933)

From 1922 until the boathouse was destroyed, the backroom at Harry T´s served as the nightly meeting place for many of the citizens of the young community of Destin. It is safe to say that during this period, most of the social, economical, and political decisions affecting the area wre made in the pine-paneled room behind the store in the boathouse.

The room contained a large commercial coffee urn, a soda pop box, and a liquor cabinet of some size. The walls were covered with the memorabilia Harry had collected over the years. At different times during its history, the room was filled with music provided by an old phonograph player, a reed organ, a player piano, and, finally, a juke box. Most of the items in the back were lost in the hurricane, but the reed organ, which was being repaired inland, was spared. In addition to the decision-making activities, the pine-paneled room probably experienced more card playing, dancing, drinking, and genuine “good-times” than any other equivalent space on the entire coast. To use Harry´s favorite expression, anytime you were there was “a great time to be alive!”

THE SECOURS AWARD (1932)

The heroic missions of Harry finally received national attention. On May 10, 1932 with most of the population of Destin in attendance, the National Maritime Association (NMA), presented Harrison T. Babe with the prestigious Secours Award. The symbol of the seaman throwing out the life preserver was a copy of the original statue created by the French sculptor Hirsute. The English translation of the French word “secours” is “help.”

PELICAN POINT MAGNOLIA TREE BECOMES THE “MONEY TREE”

A common thread in these stories is the Money Tree, the gigantic magnolia tree located near the harbor at the old site of Pelican Point Park.

When Pelican Point Park, a 1,400 seat baseball stadium in Destin, opened its gates on February 28, 1923, an unusual site greeted the northern Florida fans; some 417 feet from home plate stood a magnificent magnolia tree forming part of the right fence. Original plans called for the removal of the tree, however, city fathers demanded that it be left standing.

Park owners turned the obstacle into an attraction when they promised to award a $5 bill to any player who “put one in the tree in a game situation.” In the inaugural season, three crisp $5 bills were awarded, in exhibition, to George Herman Ruth, and twice during regular season to Austin “Streak” Keller, first baseman for the Pelican Point Pirates.

MONEY TREE RESCUE

A 5-year-old girl was rescued from atop the giant magnolia during a flash flooding, by Harrison T. Babe with the help of an unusual friend.

Molly walker, daughter of the widow Mary Walker, had ventured outdoors during torrential rains in search of her beloved Kitten, Ernie. The tiny white feline had apparently been chased to the top of the Money Tree, from where it was too frightened to come down. Without regard for her own safety, the little girl climbed the tree to save her kitten.

Fred Grady was hurrying home from work when he heard Molly crying. “She was stuck there at the top of the tree, clutching this little puff of fur in one hand and a branch with the other, frozen to the spot. The water had gotten very high, to the point it was almost swallowing the tree. Poor thing was so scared. I ran as fast as I could to the boathouse for help.”

When Babe heard about Molly´s predicament, he jumped in his boat, “The Flying Harry T” and headed towards the park. Initial rescue attempts, however, were thwarted when Babe could not even maneuver his craft close enough to the stout tree.

“I just couldn´t figure out how I was going to get her,” Babe said. “Then, from the corner of my eye, I caught the movement of a pelican come skimming over the water from the fishing docks, and heard the child exclaim “SWOOP!” Sure enough, that rascally bird flew up to the tree, circled once, and launched into his infamous aerial antics, just for her.”

Chuckling, Babe explained, “SWOOP never could resist a captive audience. IN all my years with Miller Brothers Circus, I´ve never seen such a ham; he´d do anything for a marshmallow. You should see him with a baseball-he could play the entire outfield for the Pirates if it were legal!”

It was the very thought that gave Babe the idea he needed. He called to Molly, “Give Ernie to SWOOP! He´ll fly him down to safety!”

Readily agreeing to the play, she stretched out as far as she dared, supporting the kitten in the palm of her hand. Immediately spying the small white object, the curious pelican flew to the girl and perched by her side, cautiously eyeing her precious offering. “Please take Ernie to Captain Babe,” she whispered. SWOOP accepted the kitten in his pouch, hopped off the branch and glided down to the boat, depositing his passenger on the forward deck.

Babe then jumped overboard and swimming against the current, made his way to the tree and climbed to the top. Molly threw her arms around his neck in almost a chokehold, and together they descended the giant magnolia to the cheers of the gathered crowd.

In honor of the playful pelican´s contribution to the rescue, the section of Destin Harbor behind the Money Tree and the ballpark was named Pelican Point Harbor, where today, pelicans still keep a watchful eye over small children.

RACE OF THE LONGNECKS

“It was bound to happen sooner rather than later,” they said. Harry T had his fill of Grover T. always boasting that his ostrich, Streak, was the fastest animal alive. Harry knew that his giraffe, Stretch, could beat Streak “with one wing tied behind his back,” he´d seen Stretch outrun Clyde, the lion in the Miller Bros. Circus. How he would love to prove his brother wrong once and for all!

In his day, streak was the racing champion of ostriches, but had been retired to the Florida Ostrich Farm (FOF), in Jacksonville for breeding and to pull the wagon of ostrich eggs to market. On a trip to Jacksonville to purchase a horse for his new Sunset Buggy Tour, Grover was riding around a circular track with Streak out in front of the pack. Grover couldn´t believe his eyes! At that moment, her struck upon a novel idea for his tours, and after some hard bargaining, brought Streak back to Destin as the star attraction of the Sunset Buggy Tour. It became a great success and everyone marveled at how the swift, two-towed animal could turn on a dime to avoid dangerous obstacles in his path. In Grover´s estimation, there was no faster, fleet-footed animal than Streak.

Many years earlier, harry and Stretch had become friends. Stretch had been separated from his mom, the baby giraffe was sold to Mr. Miller because her owner only wanted a mature giraffe in his side show. Stretch was lonely missing his mother, and would not allow anyone to get close to him. Harry, who was only 12 when he joined the circus, was also very lonely. He had thought the circus would be an exciting, glamorous life, but being the new boy, his first job was to help care for the animals, especially the difficult giraffe. Stretch did not take to humans. Harry felt sorry for him, and never stopped trying to win the giraffe´s affection, but was rebuffed every time with Stretch running away from him.

One particular day, after chasing Stretch all the way around the circus to feed him his lettuce leaves and carrots, Harry finally gave up, sat down under a tree and, overcome with frustration and his own loneliness, began to cry. Seeing the boy so sad, Stretch shyly approached him and reached down his long neck from a respectful distance, began to nibble the end of the wilted carrot tops and lettuce in Harry´s hand. Startled and amazed, Harry slowly reached out and gently stroked the giraffe´s nedck. Stretch boldly moved closer, and suddenly feeling very hungry, proceeded to munch his salad and allowed himself to enjoy the boy´s caresses.

From that time forth, the two were close companions and things became much better for them both; Harry was promoted to the aerial arena and came to be known as “The Flying Harry T.” for his feats. Stretch´s new demeanor revealed a mischievous sense of humor and a clowning nature, which is quite uncommon among giraffes. Soon, Stretch became a favorite part of the circus, delighting audiences everywhere.

So it was only natural that Harry and Grover should frequently find themselves at odds over the two animals.

Then, one day, it happened; the weather was so severe in the north that year that Mr. miller decided to take Harry´s recommendation to winter the circus in Camp Walton instead. It was an even better place than he´d hoped for–temperature enough to rejuvenate the animals, without it being too hot, to the point of exhausting them.

Harry went to visit his old friend and asked if Stretch could spend some time with him in Destin. He promised Mr. Miller that he would not spoil Stretch too much, and would see to it that Stretch got “plenty of exercise.”

“Why Harry,” Mr. Miller asked, “you would not be thinking about any demonstrations to show how fast that giraffe can run, now would you?”

“Mr. Miller, you know I would not try to fool you. My brother thinks his ostrich, Streak, is the fastest…”

“An ostrich?! Why that´s preposterous! Of all the.. did you say there might be some watering involved?”

The brothers agreed that in the interest of fairness, the first heat would be held on a straight course along the Harbor Walk, a popular area for strolling and sight-seeing near the Sunset Pavilion on the west end of town.

For the second heat, a circular track was described around nearby Cannery Field, with the “Money Tree” to serve as both the start and finish line. To make things interesting, the brothers decided on a gentlemanly wager; the loser would shave off his moustache.

Word quickly spread about the upcoming race. What had started as friendly rivalry between two brothers soon turned into hearted disagreements between friends, families, and neighbors from Camp Walton to Santa Rosa Beach. On the day of the races, both Harry and Grover were amazed to see the turnout of people who had come from miles around to watch. They had all done their chores early and came prepared with fully stocked picnic baskets to make a day of it. The harbor was crowded with boats of all sizes, brimming with spectators, and the Money Tree was laden with kids perched on every branch.

As expected, Stretch won the straight course, and Streak won the circular one. A tremendous party ensued with the revelers eventually moving to the Pavilion to watch the sun dip into the bay. There, the merriment continued until the wee hours. Anyone with musical talent, and a few without, took turns entertaining, eventually joining together as a band at the end. Harry and Grover´s sister, Ruthie B., was persuaded to open her concession stand at nearby Cannery Field to quiet the many craving for her famous “Ruthie B´s” grouper sandwiches and cold cider. The highlight of the evening, however, was when each brother shaved off half of his moustache!

The event was such a success that the brothers agreed to commemorate it for all time. Together, they built a wooden promenade over the flat track of Stretch´s victorious race and christened it Harbor Walk. Later on, they added a specially made carousel of eight alternating “racing” giraffes and ostriches to the Sunset Pavilion.

One of these carousel characters, and a portion of the merry-go-round itself, is displayed still. Unfortunately, many of these relics were lost or destroyed by the hurricane of ´33, which desolated the Pointe of Destin Harbor.

THE RHUMBAR LEGEND

It is said that Willy T. (Harry´s great uncle, who was never spoken of uch because of his scandals) stopped at many places just like the RhumBar during his Caribbean travels. Willy was a rumrunner. In the mid 1800´s, he and his crew transported rum from the Caribbean islands through the Florida Keys and up to the Emerald Coast. You can imagine the stories he had to tell, pirates and rum, heavy storms and bar fights, hot days and hotter nights.