Key West in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Charley P. Toppino

1890 - 1958

— Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden —

Charley P. Toppino Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, May 4, 2023

1. Charley P. Toppino Marker

Inscription. Charley Toppino came to the United States shortly after the turn of the century. He served in the U.S. Army during WW I. He then worked in construction and stone cutting in New York and Virginia. Toppino returned to his hometown in Canale, Italy where he married Orsolina Rolando. They became the parents of five sons. In the 1920's they moved to Florida working first in the orange groves in the middle of the state. Toppino's first construction contract was for work at Rollins College in Winter Park. The Depression found him moving south looking for work. In 1933 he came to Homestead, Florida and found work building the Lower Matcumbe Key to No Name Key viaduct to eliminate the ferry on that section of the highway. He was a supervisor of the World War I Veterans hired by the government. When the 1935 hurricane destroyed the railroad, he stayed on to help build the new Overseas Highway which opened in 1938. In Marathon he built and operated the Overseas Lodge and began to haul water in the pre-pipeline days from Homestead to the Keys. In 1940, when World War II military construction began. Toppino moved to Key West. After

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the war, the company was ready to provide the equipment and manpower for the construction boom in the Lower Keys. For the next 40 years, Charley Toppino and Sons took part in almost every major construction project from Marathon to Key West. One of the major dredge and fill projects was Safe Harbor on Stock Island, where the Cuba Car Ferry docked. After Toppino died in 1958, his sons continued the company. Donated by
The Toppino Family

Erected by The Toppino Family.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1940.

Location. 24° 33.585′ N, 81° 48.419′ W. Marker is in Key West, Florida, in Monroe County. It can be reached from the intersection of Wall Street and Tifts Street. The marker is located within the Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 Wall Street, Key West FL 33040, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Keys.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, May 4, 2023

2. Charley P. Toppino Marker

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dr. Jeptha Vining Harris (here, next to this marker); Henry Morrison Flagler (here, next to this marker); Jefferson B. Browne (here, next to this marker); Bernie C. Papy (here, next to this marker); William R. Kerr (here, next to this marker); Eduardo H. Gato (here, next to this marker); John Bartlum (here, next to this marker); William A. Whitehead (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Key West.

Also see . . . The Key West Sculpture Garden – Where History Meets Art. (Submitted on May 18, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 509 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 18, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.