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

Makeshift Living Quarters

— Dry Tortugas National Park —

Photographed by Pete Skillman, November 20, 2023

1. Makeshift Living Quarters Marker

Inscription. During the Civil War, soldiers lived in second-tier casemates like this one as the Union Army utilized every square inch of the incomplete fort. These rooms were breezier than the tents on the parade ground, but the mosquitoes, flies, and stench could be just as bad. The second tier was framed but never finished because of fears that the foundation and cistern system could not withstand the weight of additional bricks and cannon. Contract slave labor quarried coral from the surrounding waters to use in the concrete floor. This coral fill is still visible today.

We...occupy a room in the fort about 22 ft. square. We have chairs and tables of our own manufacture...bunks with good clean blankets and musketo [sic] bars.
William S. Stebbins, 110th New York Volunteers, April 15, 1864

(captions)
Some casemates facing the parade ground were walled in with bricks or wood in the mid-1800s for use as living quarters.

Sometimes archways were converted into windows or walls in the makeshift quarters. Look for evidence of changes in the casemates as you tour the fort.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is April 15, 1864.

Location. 24° 37.686′ N, 82° 52.34′ W. Marker is in Key West, Florida, in Monroe County. It can be reached from no nearby street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Fort Jefferson - Key West, 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,

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: Deadly Crossfire (within shouting distance of this marker); Mariners Beware! (within shouting distance of this marker); Touring Fort Jefferson (within shouting distance

Coral fill in the concrete image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, November 20, 2023

2. Coral fill in the concrete

of this marker); Intricate Gun Rooms (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Mudd's Cell (within shouting distance of this marker); Water in "Dry" Tortugas (within shouting distance of this marker); Building a City on the Sea (within shouting distance of this marker); Gunrooms (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Key West.

Also see . . . Dry Tortugas National Park. National Park Service (Submitted on February 1, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 29, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 171 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 29, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?