Three historic buildings were converted in 1976 to create the resort you see today. Two of the buildings contained apartments for military families living "off base". The buildings may have been moved across the street from the Key West Army . . . — — Map (db m243710) HM
Dating from the 1840s, the two buildings in the foreground of the photograph are the oldest commercial structures on the island. This photograph was taken from Tift's Tower (modern day Waterfront Playhouse); it shows the rear view of the buildings. . . . — — Map (db m225440) HM
On April 2, 1891, J. Vining Harris, Jr., son of Confederate surgeon Dr. Jeptha Vining Harris (1839-1914), married Florida E. Curry, daughter of Bahamian émigré and Florida millionaire William Curry. The marriage united two of Key West's wealthiest . . . — — Map (db m225438) HM
The fire of 1886 missed this single-family house by 200 feet. A portion of the first floor was rebuilt at the street level in 1889 for a "Gents Goods" store. The storefront saw a succession of commercial uses through the years and the house . . . — — Map (db m223408) HM
Jefferson Browne attended school in Key West but graduated from Kenmore University High School in Amherst, Virginia, in the mid 1870’s. He became a lighthouse keeper, at Fowey Rocks Lighthouse for fifteen months where he spent his spare time . . . — — Map (db m222934) HM
Joe Pearlman was born in Romania. He came to Key West in 1904 and became a successful businessman in two unrelated fields, retail sales and construction. In 1916, he opened Pearlman's Quality Store on Duval Street which he operated for
37 years. . . . — — Map (db m223726) HM
John Bartlum began his career as a wrecker in the Bahamas at New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay. By 1835, he was in Key West working as a shipwright. Bartlum was a mechanical genius who never served a day as an apprentice. He acquired his shipbuilding . . . — — Map (db m223724) HM
John Lowe, Jr. arrived in Key West as an infant from the Bahamas, He had little formal education. John went to sea with his father as a child and he earned his ship master's license when he was 13 years old. At 15, he became a clerk for his . . . — — Map (db m223730) HM
As early as 1873, John McFerris Lowe, a mariner born in Hope Town in the Bahamas, owned the original plat where Westwinds, a historic inn, now sits. Several wood-frame residences are visible on the 1884 Bird's Eye Map of Key West.
The Benjamin . . . — — Map (db m243707) HM
John Simonton was a native of New Jersey, with business interests in Mobile, New Orleans, Cuba and Key West. Around 1818, he saw that the Harbor of Key West would become an important seaport when the United States acquired Florida from Spain in the . . . — — Map (db m223755) HM
In this house was born, lived and died Joseph Yates Porter, M.D. 1847-1927.
First health officer of the State of Florida, 1889-1917. Thirteenth president of the Florida Medical Association. Under his farsighted leadership, yellow fever and other . . . — — Map (db m158216) HM
• Key West High School - 1926
• Key West Memorial Junior High School - 1956
• Memorial Elementary School - 1966
• Glynn R. Archer Junior High School - 1971
• Glynn R. Archer Elementary School - 1976 — — Map (db m243868) HM
William Marvin grew up on a farm in New York where he attended and taught school before he read law at Bladenbary MD, near Washington. In 1830, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Maryland and New York. In 1835, he was appointed United . . . — — Map (db m222896) HM
Julius Stone was educated in Ohio and at Harvard University where he received a Ph.D in Organic Chemistry in 1926. From a wealthy family, he became a millionaire in his own right during the 1920s. He lost it all during the crash of 1929. In . . . — — Map (db m223584) HM
This frame structure was built in 1887, replacing the first quarters which was smaller in size. Its design was standard for light stations in the south, and was used at several locations in Florida. The building was spacious and provided lodgings . . . — — Map (db m243894) HM
This building, the second on the property, was the home of the Key West Lighthouse's Principal and Assistant Lighthouse Keepers and their families. The Principal Keepers who served here were:
Michael Mabrity 1826-1832
Barbara Mabrity . . . — — Map (db m243915) HM
Although there was no longer a need for a Principal Lighthouse Keeper or an Assistant Keeper after the Key West Lighthouse was automated in 1914, the Superintendent of the U.S. Lighthouse Service's 7th District moved his family into the cottage in . . . — — Map (db m243892) HM
A fort's effectiveness in the 1800s depended in large part on its gunpowder supply. Keeping the powder dry and avoiding explosions were critical. This powder magazine's special features included wooden floors and walls to prevent sparks, and vents . . . — — Map (db m193408) HM
Hemingway often refereed boxing matches in Key West's Bahama Village. One match, fought in 1936, was particularly brutal. The manager of one of the fighters, Kermit "Shine" Forbes, conceded the fight by literally "throwing in the towel." Hemingway . . . — — Map (db m246979) HM
Once called the "Gibraltar of the Gulf of Mexico, Key West occupies a vital strategic position in defense of the United States. In 1822, Lieutenant Matthew Perry, U.S. Navy, raised the American Flag over Key West, taking formal charge of the island . . . — — Map (db m226183) HM WM
The Armory was in such
an advanced state of
deterioration by 1969 that
the state granted the city
permission for it's
demolition. Joseph Allen
and State Representative
William Roberts fought to
save the building and . . . — — Map (db m224194) HM
This 1903 armory was described as "an unusual wood-frame building," and was one of the few armories built in the South due to lack of funds following the Civil War (1861-1865). The Italianate-style, Key West Armory incorporates an arched entrance, . . . — — Map (db m85266) HM
Key West Cemetery was founded in 1847 following a hurricane the previous year that destroyed the earlier cemetery located near present day Higgs Beach. To protect from future flooding, the 19-acre cemetery was located here on Solares Hill, the . . . — — Map (db m32660) HM
Built in 1923 as the Monroe County High School. For 90 years the school served as a high school, middle school and elementary school. In 2014 the City of Key West acquired the property for adaptive reuse as the new city hall. The interior of the . . . — — Map (db m243870) HM
Power first came to Key West in 1887 when J.J. Philbrick created the Key West Gas and Electric Light Company. A decade later, Curry and Sons started their own power plant. Eventually, these competing companies combined and were purchased by Stone . . . — — Map (db m222988) HM
The first Key West Lighthouse was built in 1825 near the Southernmost Point. A violent hurricane completely destroyed the structure in 1846. The decision was made to construct the new lighthouse inland on Whitehead Street. It was completed in . . . — — Map (db m243918) HM
Construction of the first Key West Lighthouse began in 1825 on Whitehead's Point, near today's Southernmost Point. When the tower was finished in early 1826, the whitewashed brick structure stood 47 feet tall from its foundation to the base of its . . . — — Map (db m243919) HM
Probably the most photographed inhabitants of Key West are the multicolored, strutting, and crowing roosters seen all over town. Most of the roosters, hens, and their offspring are wild. The Roosters are a routine sight and sound on the streets and . . . — — Map (db m245267) HM
The Martin Hellings House, constructed c. 1892 by Captain Martin L. Hellings, is one of only a few historic houses in Key West not built of wood. Hellings was a native of Pennsylvania and a Union soldier in the Civil War. In 1881, Hellings married . . . — — Map (db m84718) HM
The Great Fire of 1886 brought
an end to the practice of using
wood shakes for roofing. At
the time, Key West buildings
were mostly wooden
structures built in close
quarters. Afterwards, the City
required metal roofs on new
and rebuilt . . . — — Map (db m192415) HM
Korean War Veterans
In memory of our loved ones who
went forth to face death on land
on the sea and in the air that
mankind might live in freedom
Yandal H. Marable • Park Watson • Howard Sands • Ray Demeritt • Hubert Dion • Gerald . . . — — Map (db m225769) WM
This historic structure has had two lives. It was originally built as an entertainment pavilion and dance hall during the peak of Key West's cigar industry. Located at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean at the end of Simonton Street in a relatively . . . — — Map (db m243862) HM
La Te Da
The home of cigar
manufacturer Teodoro Perez
will forever be a symbol of
Key West's strong ties to
Cuba. On May 3, 1883,
Perez welcomed José Martí,
the man who was the
symbol of Cuba's bid for
. . . — — Map (db m222654) HM
Lena Johnson made her living by baking cakes and making “pull candy” taffy. She lived in a frame dwelling on Division Street (Truman: Avenue). In 1916, when the Boy Scout Troop needed a meeting place she gave them a small frame building at the rear . . . — — Map (db m223747) HM
The three-story Barrack located on the gorge, or landward side of the Fort, served as the center of life for its soldiers. Facilities included sleeping quarters, offices, chapels, kitchens, dining rooms, tidal-flushed latrines and an infirmary. Even . . . — — Map (db m240186) HM
The Key West Lighthouse Keeper and Assistant Keeper resided in this house along with each of their families. Being a lighthouse keeper was one of toughest jobs to have in the 1800s and the early 1900s. Keepers worked long grueling hours and had to . . . — — Map (db m232446) HM
In 1823, the U.S. Navy established a base in Key West and the need for a lighthouse became evident. Erecting a warning beacon was essential to reduce shipwrecks on the treacherous shoals surrounding the island. By the mid- 1800s there was an . . . — — Map (db m232342) HM
Being a lighthouse keeper was one of the hardest jobs to have in the 1800s and the early 1900s. Keepers and their assistants lived at the lighthouse, worked long, grueling hours and had to be ready to put their own lives at risk in order to keep . . . — — Map (db m243913) HM
This brick tower, the second Key West Lighthouse, was completed in 1848 and was sixty-eight feet tall. In 1894 twenty feet was added to the tower making it visible to sailor for fifteen miles. In 1969 the Coast Guard decommissioned the light as if . . . — — Map (db m243917) HM
History of Fort Taylor
Fort Taylor served faithfully through the American Civil War and was called the "Gibraltar of the Florida Straits", even though it never fired a single shot in defense. It protected the harbor from attack, and served as . . . — — Map (db m240152) HM
Livingston Bethel was two years old when his father, Judge Winer Bethel, moved from Nassau, Bahama Islands, to Key West. He was educated in a private school in Key West at the Walnut Hill Military Academy in Geneva, New York. He read law under Homer . . . — — Map (db m223659) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m240117) HM
The home of Stephen Russell Mallory (1812-1873) stood near this site from 1839 to 1895 when it became U.S. Navy property. U.S. Senator from Florida from 1851 to 1861 and Chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee after 1853. As Secretary of the Navy in . . . — — Map (db m84721) HM
The Mallory Square area was the hub of Key West's wrecking industry in the 19th Century. it includes warehouses where salvage from the ships wrecked on the reef, were stored and auctioned. Named for Stephen R. Mallory, who left the United States . . . — — Map (db m245825) HM
Charles Henry Mallory formed
the Mallory Ship Line in the
1860s. The Mallory Line
operated passenger and
freight
shipping from New
York City, through Key West,
to Galveston, Texas.
This shipping line operated
. . . — — Map (db m224173) HM
Margo Golan was considered by many as the greatest philanthropist to live in Key West. She and her husband
Sam moved to Key West from Chicago in the 1950's and built two of the early hotels, the Key Ambassador and the Holiday Inn. They had a vision . . . — — Map (db m222687) HM
In 1904, the beneficencia Cubana was organized for work among the Key West Cuban poor. In December, 1910, Maria Gutsens, Mrs Blanca Ferriol de Perez, Mrs. Carlotta Cenarro de Alayeto, Mrs. Maria Manas de Betancourt, Mrs. Esperanza La Fe, Mrs. . . . — — Map (db m223607) HM
At the request of U.S. Navy
Commodore David Porter,
construction began for a
Marine Hospital in Key West
in late 1844. The structure
was partially destroyed by
the 1846 hurricane, but was
completed in less than one
year. The Hospital opened . . . — — Map (db m192420) HM
The Dry Tortugas offer a sheltered harbor for ships, but their reefs and shoals have claimed more than 200 wrecks since the 1500s. To warn mariners, the US government built a 70-foot lighthouse in 1825—26 on Garden Key 20 years before work started . . . — — Map (db m225093) HM WM
In the 19th century when shipwrecks along the treacherous Florida reef were numerous, fisherman and spongers turn to wrecking as a means of livelihood. Almost every sea worthy vessel at Key West quickly responded to the exciting cry of “Wreck Ashore . . . — — Map (db m224507) HM
The first regularly-scheduled international flight by a United States airline was made from here to Havana Oct. 28, 1927. This inaugurated Pan American World Airways, which later spread through the Caribbean, around South America, and across the . . . — — Map (db m127807) HM
This plaque is placed here to commemorate the lost souls aboard the galleons Nuestra Senora de Atocha, Santa Margarita and the other ships of the 1622 Fleet that found their final resting place on the ocean floor off Key West, Florida in the . . . — — Map (db m224566) HM
William J. Curry, born on Green Turtle Key in the Bahamas in 1821, immigrated to Key West in 1837. Curry homesteaded this lot in 1852 and was Key West’s leading merchant for forty years. Wm. Curry Sons’ maritime business amassed a fortune during the . . . — — Map (db m127502) HM
Miriam Williams, pictured left, said "[I was] [o]nly in my late teens when I went to cook for Miss Pauline[....] [She] interviewed me and when she asked about my cooking experience and I said 'just a little home cooking' I could tell she liked me . . . — — Map (db m246974) HM
The original wooden courthouse was completed in 1823. The county occupied most of the Southern Florida Peninsula. The county seat in Key West currently covers the Florida Keys, and portions of the Everglades National Park. The present red brick . . . — — Map (db m243891) HM
The United States Marine Corps was the last branch of the military to admit African Americans.
The Montford Point Marines were the first African Americans to serve in the Corps. Thirteen of those young men were native sons of Key West, Florida. . . . — — Map (db m224873) HM WM
On September 13, 1833, the United States government purchased this harbor-front lot. The Naval Depot was authorized by an Act of Congress on July 21, 1852. Capt. J.M. Scarritt and Lt. J.J. Philbrick supervised the construction of this building. By . . . — — Map (db m128058) HM
Commodore David Porter established a Naval Station here on April 3, 1823 as a Supply Base for his 17-ship Anti-Pirate Squadron. The Station remained in constant operation from that date until its disestablishment on March 31, 1974. Although its . . . — — Map (db m26835) HM
Erected 1866
by the Navy Club of Key West
To the Memory of the
Officers, Sailors & Soldiers
of the
Army, Navy & Marine Corps
of the
United States
who lost their lives in their
Country's service upon this station
from 1861 to . . . — — Map (db m85331) WM
In 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine sailed from this anchorage to her destruction in La Habana harbor. “Remember the Maine” became the rallying cry for the Spanish-American War that followed. The anchorage served the navy through . . . — — Map (db m100241) HM
Norberg was named for his grandfather, John Norberg, a Norwegian sea captain who's vessel was wrecked on the Florida reef. Norberg Thompson was educated in the schools of Key West, Mount Pleasant Military Academy and New York University. He . . . — — Map (db m223763) HM
He loved his island city and served as its Mayor. He devoted his life to aiding and providing employment for its people for over 50 years. Most of his accomplishments were located along this harbor.
They included sponging, fishing, shrimping, . . . — — Map (db m225526) HM
Built for U.S. Army officers, these buildings are a good example of turn of the century military housing. Once part of the Peary Court Army Garrison, they were moved here in the 1940's. North beach road connected Peary Court to Truman Avenue. This . . . — — Map (db m223158) HM
Diana Nyad came ashore at this point on Smathers Beach on September 2, 2013, having swum 110.86 miles nonstop from Havana to Key West, the first to achieve this epic crossing without a shark cage. Successful on her fifth attempted try (52 hours, 54 . . . — — Map (db m243871) HM
The City of Key West acquired this lot in 1871 and built a wood-frame city hall, dedicating it on July 4, 1876, during the nation’s Centennial. That building stood until it burned down in the devastating fire of 1886. The City then constructed this . . . — — Map (db m84719) HM
Built in 1833 and moved from Front St. to it's current location in 1891. In the 1800's there was an average of one shipwreck per week. Shipwreck salvage led to Key West's initial growth and prosperity. From this mansard roofed building, all . . . — — Map (db m223391) HM
The first Monroe County jail dates back to 1828. Built two years after the county courthouse, it was a symbol of Monroe County's position as the largest city in Florida. The jail was rebuilt in 1835, 1845,1880, 1892, and 1907. During the 1907 . . . — — Map (db m243929) HM
In this building, on January 1st, 2000, artist J.T. Thompson distilled the essence of Key West's caring and inclusive attitude into the words "ONE HUMAN FAMILY.
On October 17th, 2000, Mayor Jimmy Weekley and the entire Key West City Commission . . . — — Map (db m243692) HM
In 1856, this one-ton slab of marble was aboard the merchant vessel Isaac Allerton, as part of a shipment intended from the ongoing construction of the U.S. Custom House in New Orleans, LA. During the voyage, the Isaac Allerton . . . — — Map (db m243867) HM
This building was the ticket
office for Pan American
Airways. The airline was
founded in 1927 as a mail and
passenger service. It operated
between Key West, Florida and
Havana, Cuba. Pan Am sold its
first tickets for what turned
out to be . . . — — Map (db m192422) HM
This vantage point atop Bastion A provides a sweeping view of Fort Jefferson’s parade ground and major historic features.
Traverse Magazine • Harbor Light • Sally Port (exit) • Rodman Cannon
Large Detached Magazine • Soldier’s . . . — — Map (db m225114) WM
The military history of Peary Court dates from 1831 when the Key West army barracks was established. The earliest recorded burials in the post cemetery was in 1836, probably resulting from the yellow fever epidemic that led to the abandonment of the . . . — — Map (db m225461) WM
During his tenure in office as President
of the United States, Harry S. Truman
visited Key West a total of 11 times
commencing in 1946.
It was at this restaurant that President Truman would stop and enjoy a cup of coffee while taking one of . . . — — Map (db m224447) HM
Commercial fishing has always been an important part of the Key West economy. For more than sixty years Peter Roberts ran a retail fish market at Curry and Son's dock. Roberts in his always present straw hat was a symbol of the Key West commercial . . . — — Map (db m223687) HM
Captain Phillip L. Cosgrove, Sr., commanded the U.S. lighthouse tender Mangrove, the first rescue ship to aid victims of the 1898 explosion of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana harbor. This house, acquired by Cosgrove in 1871, incorporates remnants of . . . — — Map (db m127808) HM
An outbreak of piracy in 1822 prompted the United States to organize the West Indian Squadron, an anti-pirate fleet. Commanded by Commodore David Porter, the squadron in 1823 included 17 ships and 1,100 men based in Key West. For two years the . . . — — Map (db m72739) HM
Imagine what it was like to heat solid cannonballs in a hot shot furnace like this one, so gun crews could fire red-hot projectiles at wooden warships to set them ablaze. This process involved several soldiers. One soldier maintained the coal fire . . . — — Map (db m193410) HM
The Kemp family was one of the early settlers of Key West. Built on land purchased in 1845, this house replaced the family home destroyed by the Great Fire of 1886. It is the purest example of classical revival Key West-Bahaman style . . . — — Map (db m223473) HM
The 300-pounder Parrot had spiral grooves, called rifling, which caused its elongated, pointed projectile to spin. This made the Parrotts much more accurate than smoothbore Rodman cannon that fired round cannonballs. The Parrot's muzzle-loaded . . . — — Map (db m225067) HM
This mansion was built by
Robert Curry as a result of the
"Great Fire” of 1886. The fire
leveled the Curry family home,
businesses, and two thirds of
the business district. After his
death the mansion became the
home of the southernmost . . . — — Map (db m192418) HM
Founded in 1984, We stand as the oldest cigar manufacturer in the Florida Keys preserving the historical cigar manufacturing industry that began in Key West in 1831. As the years passed new generation on family members have expanded manufacturing . . . — — Map (db m243882) HM
The Only Way In
The Sally Port served as the only entrance to the Fort. It was accessed by crossing a 1,100 foot wooden causeway from the island. All personnel and goods entered and exited the Fort through the Sally Port. A moat and drawbridge . . . — — Map (db m240189) HM
Necessary as a food preservative in the days before refrigeration, salt was a highly prized commodity. In 1830 Richard Fitzpatrick acquired 100 acres of wetlands and divided the area into large compartments, creating flat drying pans that were . . . — — Map (db m243875) HM
Sandy Cornish (Uncle Sandie) was born a slave in Maryland about 1793. He migrated to Florida in 1839 where with his wife Lillah's help he was able to buy his freedom. In the late 1840's his free papers were lost in a fire. Six unprincipled men . . . — — Map (db m223513) HM
The style of this home is often referred to as "saw tooth" house. As homes grew, so did the need for a fresh water supply. The use of multiple parallel gable roof lines was designed to collect the maximum amount of rain water to be stored in . . . — — Map (db m223216) HM
Built on Duval Street by John T. Sawyer to replace his mansion lost in the Great Fire of 1886. He was a master builder, sponger, and banker who owned a ship chandlery, & the steamboat City of Key West. The home was moved to it's present location in . . . — — Map (db m243890) HM
Built between 1938 and 1939, the Western Union is one of the oldest surviving wooden working schooners in the United States and the oldest remaining tall ships built in the Florida Keys. It laid and maintained telegraph cables between Key West, . . . — — Map (db m243840) HM
Conveniently located in the heart of Historic Old Town Key West. Seascape is a short walk to both the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Around the corner from Shops, art galleries, restaurants, attractions and nightlife on the island.
On a . . . — — Map (db m243851) HM
Following the destruction of the first Key Wet Lighthouse during the devastating Havana Hurricane of 1846, a new lighthouse was built farther inland at its present-day location. The tower and keeper’s quarters were completed in less than and the . . . — — Map (db m243914) HM
Second Seminole War
Enraged by the government's imminent deadline for their removal to western reservations, Florida Indians launched attacks on military units and outlying plantations in December 1835.
First news of the attacks . . . — — Map (db m224141) HM WM
The first United States Marines arrived in Key West with Commodore David Porter's pirate-hunting fleet in 1823, and the Corps has played a vital role in the life of this island both in war and in peace intervals since that time, from 1939 until . . . — — Map (db m144537) HM
John Maloney Spottswood was born in Key West in 1920, educated in Monroe County and graduated from Riverside Military Academy. During World War II, he served in the US army. He established the first Key West radio station in September 1945. In March . . . — — Map (db m222861) HM
"Shotgun House" refers to structures that have a single room width and are 3-4 rooms in length. A common room configuration used the front room as a living room, the middle rooms as bedrooms, and the back room as a kitchen all connected by a common . . . — — Map (db m243687) HM
Sister Louis Gabriel of the order of "The Sisters of The Holy Names of Jesus and Mary”, arrived at the convent of Mary Immaculate on the evening of August 25, 1897. She spent the next 51 years dedicated to her work, the service to God and to her . . . — — Map (db m223491) HM
This historic site on Solares Hill marks the highest point in Key West. It measures 18 feet above the average mean sea level. In 1846, the Havana Hurricane hit Key West as a category 4 storm with seven foot high waves crashing through the Historic . . . — — Map (db m232281) HM
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