Key West in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
"The Wreckers"
Photographed by Pete Skillman, November 21, 2023
1. "The Wreckers" Marker
Inscription.
"The Wreckers". . This magnificent sculpture "The Wreckers" at 18 feet long and 25 feet high captures the spirit of Key West as a bold, boisterous and bustling sea town out on the frontier of a young America. The early wreckers are depicted engaging in their work of saving lives and cargo from a vessel come to ultimate peril on our reefs. Wrecking was the island's first economy and the reason for her early existence. In fact, Key West became the richest city per capita in the U.S. during the mid 1800's due to the salvage fees received by the wrecking captains and crews; and ultimately the businessmen, lawyers, clerks, packers, dock hands and insurance agents ashore. The monument was created at the hands of master award winning sculptor James Mastin of Miami, Florida., This sculpture was made possible in large part by a grant from the Ocean Key House Suite Resort and Marina and the donations from the people of Key West.
This magnificent sculpture "The Wreckers" at 18 feet long and 25 feet high captures the spirit of Key West as a bold, boisterous and bustling sea town out on the frontier of a young America. The early wreckers are depicted engaging in their work of saving lives and cargo from a vessel come to ultimate peril on our reefs. Wrecking was the island's first economy and the reason for her early existence. In fact, Key West became the richest city per capita in the U.S. during the mid 1800's due to the salvage fees received by the wrecking captains and crews; and ultimately the businessmen, lawyers, clerks, packers, dock hands and insurance agents ashore. The monument was created at the hands of master award winning sculptor James Mastin of Miami, Florida.
This sculpture was made possible in large part by a grant from the Ocean Key House Suite Resort & Marina and the donations from the people of Key West.
Location. 24° 33.574′ N, 81° 48.414′ W. Marker is in Key West,
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Florida, in Monroe County. It can be reached from the intersection of Wall Street and Tifts Street, on the left when traveling north. Located in the Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 Wall St, 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 14, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 469 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 14, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
