Cuban Cigar Workers Built Florida’s First Multicultural City in This Tampa Neighborhood

Ybor City (Florida)

Cigars, salsa music, and the smell of Cuban coffee once filled the streets of Tampa’s Ybor City. This historic neighborhood was built by immigrants who turned it into America’s cigar capital. Here’s how they did it, one cigar at a time.

A Cigar Capital Born From Cuban Revolution

In 1868, Vicente Martinez Ybor got into trouble with Spanish officials in Cuba. They found out he was helping Cuban rebels who wanted freedom.

He moved his cigar business to Key West first. But after worker problems, he looked for a new place.

In 1885, Tampa’s Board of Trade gave him $5,000 to buy 40 acres near their small town. It was hot and humid there, perfect for keeping tobacco workable.

He built his first cigar factory in 1886, and workers began making his famous Prince of Wales cigars.

The Day 500 Cuban Cigarmakers Arrived By Sea

On April 12, 1886, a boat called the Hutchinson pulled into Tampa Bay.

On board were 500 Cuban cigar workers from Key West. They came to work in Ybor’s new factory.

These skilled workers had decided to follow their boss to this new place. Many brought their families along.

By the end of 1886, about 3,000 workers had moved to Ybor City. Tampa wasn’t just a fishing village anymore.

Building Homes For Immigrant Workers

Ybor knew workers would stay if they owned their own homes.

He built small wooden houses called casitas and sold them to workers at fair prices. Workers could buy them for about $750, paying a little each week from their wages.

Unlike other company towns, workers truly owned these houses after making all the payments.

Even with their own homes, many workers still felt strong ties to Cuba and hoped to return someday.

When Jose Marti Rallied For Cuban Independence

In November 1891, Cuban hero Jose Marti stood on the steps of Ybor’s factory.

Hundreds of workers gathered to hear him talk about freeing Cuba from Spain. His words fired them up for the cause.

Over the next four years, Marti visited Ybor City more than twenty times. He worked closely with readers in the factories who helped spread his ideas.

Cigar workers gave a day’s pay each week to help pay for guns and supplies for the Cuban rebels.

The Lectors Who Educated Cigar Workers

Every morning at 9, the factory reader climbed onto his platform.

As workers rolled cigars, he read newspapers, political stories, and famous books out loud. The cigar makers voted on who would be their reader.

Each worker paid 25 to 50 cents weekly for this service. The best readers could earn more than $100 a week.

These readers weren’t just reading – they acted out the stories with different voices. Many workers who couldn’t read became well-informed about world events.

Mutual Aid Societies That Created A Safety Net

Between 1891 and 1904, immigrant groups built impressive clubhouses in Ybor City.

The Spanish made El Centro Español first in 1891. Then came Italian, Cuban, and other clubs like L’Unione Italiana in 1894 and El Circulo Cubano in 1902.

For small weekly dues, members got doctor visits, medicine, and hospital care if they got sick.

The clubs also had grand ballrooms for dances, theaters for plays, and libraries where members could read and learn.

The Largest Cigar Strike That Shook The City

On September 14, 1910, someone shot a bookkeeper outside the Bustillo Bros. factory.

This started one of the biggest strikes in Tampa’s history. Workers walked out and refused to make cigars.

Mayor D.B. McKay, who had money in the cigar business, formed groups to break up the strikes. Two men named Ficarrotta and Albano were arrested and then killed by a mob.

Local stores helped striking workers by letting them buy food on credit until the strike ended.

The Strike That Silenced The Lectors Forever

In November 1931, factory owners banned readers from all cigar factories.

They claimed the readers were sharing communist ideas after some workers had marched in the streets. About 7,000 workers voted to strike to keep their readers.

For three days, they filled Ybor City’s streets with protests. The strike lasted until December 7.

With the Great Depression making jobs scarce, workers had to go back without their readers. The centuries-old tradition ended forever.

Cigar City’s Golden Age Comes To An End

By the 1920s, Tampa was making half a billion cigars each year.

Over 230 factories employed more than 12,000 cigar makers. People called Tampa the “Cigar Capital of the World.”

Then the Great Depression hit. Americans started buying cheaper cigarettes instead of fine cigars. Factory owners brought in machines to replace hand-rollers.

By the early 1950s, most cigar factories had shut down. Many workers left Tampa to find jobs elsewhere.

The Final Blow To Tampa’s Cigar Industry

In February 1962, President Kennedy announced a trade embargo against Cuba.

This meant no more Cuban tobacco could come to Tampa. Without these special leaves, Tampa cigars lost what made them special.

The few remaining cigar shops had to close. Big brick factories sat empty with broken windows.

Ybor City became a run-down area with vacant buildings and empty streets where a thriving community once stood.

The Movement That Saved Ybor City’s Heritage

In 1965, bulldozers knocked down 70 acres of historic buildings in Ybor City.

The city called it urban renewal. Interstate 4 was built right through the neighborhood, cutting it in half.

This destruction finally made people fight to save what was left. Local families whose grandparents had been immigrants led the effort.

Their work paid off in 1974 when Ybor City joined the National Register of Historic Places. In 1990, it became a National Historic Landmark District.

Visiting Ybor City

You can find Ybor City just 2 miles from downtown Tampa.

The historic district runs from 6th Avenue to 10th Avenue and from 13th Street to 22nd Street. Over 950 historic buildings still stand from the early days.

Walk down 7th Avenue to see the old storefronts and wrought-iron balconies, then visit the Ybor City Museum in the old Ferlita Bakery building.
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