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Hemingway was quite a character. When the owner of Sloppy Joe's bar remodeled, Hemingway brought the urinal home and made a fountain. Sloppy Joe's was one of his favorite hangouts.

One of the descendents of Hemingway's famous 6-toed cats. The story goes that Hemingway made the acquaintance of a sea captain who owned an unusual six-toed tomcat. Upon his departure from Key West, the captain presented the cat to Hemingway. Today many of the 60 cats that inhabit the grounds still possess the unusual six toes. One of them even has 7 toes! Only 2 male cats are not neutered and only a few of the female cats are fertile so the 6-toed line will continue. After one litter of cats, the females are spayed.

Built in 1890, the Little White House was originally built as command headquarters of the Naval station. But between 1946 and 1952, it became a vacation home and functioning winter White House for Harry S. Truman. Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton have also used the property as a retreat or for special meetings.

The Navy base was renamed the Truman Annex in 1973 following the death of President Truman in December 1972. The Little White House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 1974.

All of the cats who lived and died on the Hemmingway property are buried here. Most are named after movie stars.