Join me for an A to Z Road Trip!
I’m taking you on a road trip with me by sharing travel photos for this year’s A to Z Blog Challenge. So come along as we explore some of my favorite offbeat, overlooked and just plain interesting places in Texas… and beyond!
Today is letter J:
Johnnie Brown, the Jazz Age Monkey
Monkey on one shoulder, a parrot on the other
Throughout the Roaring Twenties, Addison Mizner was an eccentric south Florida architect and man about town. Of his many quirks, Mizner was especially known for his menagerie, which included raccoons, macaws, and anteaters.
Mizner lived on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida which is now an upscale shopping street with a labyrinthine maze of gorgeous garden courtyards. His lavish dwelling had a large iron gate and trapdoors for dropping boiling oil on trespassers!
Famous Jazz Age Monkey
Mizner’s favorite pet was a spider monkey named Johnnie Brown. The architect often stepped out with Johnnie Brown on one shoulder and a parrot on the other. It must have been quite a sight!
Buried at an Italian Restaurant
When Johnnie Brown died, Addison Mizner buried him in his courtyard and marked the spot for the “human monkey” with a headstone befitting a human.
See for yourself:
*****I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Come back tomorrow for the next letter in the alphabet!*****
Psst! Instagram, anyone?
If you are on Instagram, I’d be delighted to follow you! Simply follow my photo feed (@TuiSnider) on Instagram and I’ll follow you back!
What is the April A to Z Blog Challenge?
Each April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers.
To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then use the blog hop linky to visit as many other bloggers as you can. In addition to my personal blog here, I’m also writing A to Z posts for the the Story Dam writing community. You can check those out by clicking here: Story Dam’s Writing Quotes & Encouragement
Check out more April A to Z Blog Challenge Participants by clicking the link below:
Find out more about the April A to Z blog challenge, and check out the other participants!
![A2Z-BADGE_[2016]](http://storydam.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/A2Z-BADGE_2016-300x300.jpg){kind=icon}
Curious about my books? I’ve got 3, so far…
To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide:
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth
.
For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places:
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth
.
For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history:
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber
Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?
FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:
Tui Snider is an author, speaker, and photographer who specializes in North Texas travel, cemetery symbols, and haunted lore. As she puts it, “I used to write fiction – but then, I moved to Texas!”
Snider’s best-selling books include Paranormal Texas , Understanding Cemetery Symbols, and 100 Things to Do in Dallas - Fort Worth Before You Die.
Snider has several more books in progress, and enjoys connecting with writers and readers all over the globe through social media, her newsletter and her website: TuiSnider.com.
I love all those early southern Floridians who lived life by their own codes. What fun to know about this monkey and his influence on a famous trial.
[I found you via the #AtoZChallenge. The letter “J” seems to have brought out the jazz in everyone today.]
What a fun post! Pizza and a monkey grave? I’m in. I loved the part about the invitation to the Scopes Monkey Trial. It brought me back to my Inherit the Wind teaching days.