The first Overseas Highway, also known as State Road 4A (SR 4A), consisted of two roadway segments both completed by 1928. One spanned from Key West to No Name Key, and the other from Key Largo to Upper Matecumbe Key. Ferries transported cars . . . — — Map (db m127507) HM
The Florida Keys and South Florida residents are always aware of the danger and possibility of a tropical storm or hurricane striking the area from June through October of each year. They had been through hurricanes many times in the 50 years . . . — — Map (db m151503) HM
The Florida Keys Memorial, known locally as the “Hurricane Monument,” was built to honor hundreds of American veterans and local civilians who perished in the “Great Hurricane” on Labor Day, September 2, 1935. Islamadora . . . — — Map (db m3251) HM
Over the past several million years, the seas have risen and fallen many times. There were times when Florida became very small and even disappeared due to being covered by water. What we know as Florida is only the top of a larger area, known as . . . — — Map (db m225802) HM
In 1928 the Rustic Inn was built to serve enthusiastic tourists traveling the Florida Keys on the new rail and highway systems. The Inn was one of the few structures left standing after the "Great Hurricane" of 1935. It was later repaired and . . . — — Map (db m150490) HM
The veterans of World War I were promised a bonus but due to the Great Depression of the early 1930s the government was without funds.
Roosevelt was president and formed the Florida Emergency Relief Administration to create jobs for those . . . — — Map (db m116064) HM
After the 'Great Hurricane' of 1935, the Red Cross and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed 16 houses for Islamorada area families. Built to be 'hurricane proof,' they consisted of poured concrete and steel. Several hurricane houses . . . — — Map (db m151492) HM
The veterans of World War I, under the Florida Emergency Relief Administration, were building piers in channel 2, just below Lower Matecumbe, when the greatest storm ever hit this part of the Keys. The 200-plus mile per hour winds with a barometer . . . — — Map (db m151493) HM
Indian Key, an 11 acre island just offshore to the east, played an important part in Florida's history. An Indian village 1500 years ago, it was also the home of pirates roaming the Caribbean, and a ship wrecker's village during the 1810's. The . . . — — Map (db m176361) HM
Native Americans began occupying Indian Key by approximately A.D. 1000. It was visited by the Spanish during the 17th century, and a trading post had been established on the island by the early 19th century.
The island was acquired by Jacob . . . — — Map (db m224711) HM
These wells were surrounded by an Indian village over 1000 years ago. The Spanish used the wells to replace their water supply before crossing to the mother country.(br>
This site was a salvage camp to recover the treasure from the Spanish . . . — — Map (db m208749) HM
During the "Great Hurricane" of 1935, the Matecumbe Methodist Church was destroyed. It was originally located near the beach on the Atlantic side of Upper Matecumbe Key. In 1937 the congregation built a new wooden church adjacent to the Hurricane . . . — — Map (db m150491) HM
Juan Ponce de Leon was born in San Servas, Spain in 1460. He had served in the Spanish army and had accompanied Christopher Columbus in his second voyage in 1491. He was appointed governor of Haiti in 1511 and governor of Puerto Rico in 1512. . . . — — Map (db m83555) HM
When the Europeans arrived in America, two tribes of Indians were found in Florida, the Calusa and the Tequesta. These tribes emerged from the Archaic Period (the time when Florida became subtropical, around 5000 B.C.). The Calusa was the largest . . . — — Map (db m222295) HM
This cemetery memorializes the determination and vision of over 50 pioneer Anglo-Bahamian Conchs who labored to settle and organize the first community on Matecumbe Key. Descendants of three Islamorada pioneer families, the Russells who homesteaded . . . — — Map (db m150493) HM
Plantation Key was named for the many pineapple plantations in the early 1900s. Johnny Brush Pinder owned one of these containing over 100 acres. It was here on the beach in front of his home that he built the schooner "Island Home'. It was launched . . . — — Map (db m149435) HM
This plaque is in memory of the many Cubans who were desperate to leave Castros' communist Cuba. They left their homes and families trying to cross the 90 miles of sea in rafts, innertubes or anything that would float.
Not knowing what rough . . . — — Map (db m83553) HM
In April, 1926, Monroe County began construction of a road on the east end of Upper Matecumbe to connect with other islands. It eventually made it possible to drive to Key West by using a ferry.
The first car drove to Key West on Jan. 25 1928 . . . — — Map (db m83879) HM
The Vessel, San Pedro, was part of the Spanish colonial convoy system of the 1700s. These ships carried gold, silver and other goods from the new world back to Spain. After leaving Cuba on July 13, 1733, a hurricane forced the fleet towards the . . . — — Map (db m224717) HM
Established in 1934, during the Great Depression, Camp Three housed 250 Bonus Army veterans until September 2, 1935 when one of the worst hurricanes ever recorded destroyed everything there. The eye of the hurricane passed over nearby Craig Key with . . . — — Map (db m83592) HM
The south side of this property contained Robert's Grocery and the second post office. Today this is the site of the sixth post office. Across the highway, the original "Village of Islamorada" meaning "Island Home" was platted and named by William . . . — — Map (db m150460) HM
On Friday, July 13, 1733, the Spanish treasure fleet under the command of General Don Rodrigo de Torres Morales, sailed from Havana Harbor for Spain.
The fleet of 21 ships was loaded with gold and silver from the mine at Cartagena, Peruvian . . . — — Map (db m83550) HM
Indians lived on this island over 1000 years ago. In 1722, it was known as Boys Island. In Dec., 1838, Lt. Coste established a Naval base here and named it Ft. Paulding. This was the base for the West Indian Squadron used to blockade the coast to . . . — — Map (db m176362) HM
Like nearby Upper and Lower Matecumbe and Indian Keys, Tea Table Key was occupied by native Americans during prehistoric times. The early inhabitants settled here to take advantage of the abundance of maritime resources available in the area. . . . — — Map (db m224714) HM
Upper Matecumbe Key has been inhabited periodically since about 2000 B.C. Much has changed on the island, but the climate, the sea, and the relaxed lifestyle continue.
Island Natives
Long before European settlement of Florida, Upper . . . — — Map (db m224647) HM
The Florida Keys Memorial
The "Hurricane Monument" memorializes hundreds of American veterans and local citizens who died in the "Great Hurricane" of 1935. The cremated remains of approximately 300 veterans and local citizens were . . . — — Map (db m222363) HM
The "Overseas Railroad" was a masterpiece of engineering, proclaimed the "eighth wonder of the world." In 1904 Henry M. Flagler, oil magnate, hotelier, and owner of the Florida East Coast Railway, coined the battle cry for his engineers, "Go to . . . — — Map (db m224640) HM
The Spanish Treasure Fleets
From the time Columbus discovered the New World in 1492, the Spanish transported goods back to Spain. Gold, silver, emeralds, and other riches were now transported on Spanish ships across the ocean . . . — — Map (db m222237) HM
The Storm that Still Howls
With winds in excess of 200-mph, the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 was the most intense storm ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere and was the first known Category 5 storm.
The full force of the deadly . . . — — Map (db m224629) HM
The great Labor Day hurricane of Sept. 2, 1935 destroyed almost every building in the Matecumbes.
The W.P.A. and the Red Cross built hurricane proof houses for the families whose homes were destroyed. The walls are 12" thick with steel and . . . — — Map (db m151490) HM
1. North East end Lower Matecumbe Key - Ancient Water Wells - only fresh water on Upper Keys - Used by Indians, Sailors and Traders in XVII Century. Huge Indian Midden (Kitchen) near Wells.
2. Indian Key - Spanish Trading Post - established by . . . — — Map (db m83862) HM
This park was part of a community of 40 cigar makers cottages surrounding the Gato Cigar Factory. The structure at the rear of the property is a representation of the cottage that stood here in 1897. The cigar sculpture is believed to be the . . . — — Map (db m232113) HM
The African Queen vessel was created in 1912 and is on the American National Historic Register. Her boiler is custom made and is historically correct and her steam engine is from 1896. She was restored in 2012 and has to be meticulously maintained . . . — — Map (db m83207) HM
A swing span bridge once crossed Jewfish Creek just beyond this location. Early in the construction of Henry Flaglers Overseas Railway from the Mainland to Key West, Jewfish Creek was identified as a critical site along the route. In 1905, . . . — — Map (db m150853) HM
In 1873 Fort Jefferson's armament was modernized to include six 15-inch Rodman smoothbore cannon and four 300-pounder rifled Parrott guns. Of the 141 guns listed at the fort when the garrison left in 1874, only those 10 remain here today. The other . . . — — Map (db m193412) HM
In January of 1863, Col. James Montgomery of Kansas was authorized to raise a regiment of troops consisting entirely of free blacks and former refugee slaves. The following month, he arrived in Key West to recruit men for that regiment.
All . . . — — Map (db m224902) HM WM
A&B Lobster House was founded in 1947 by two fishermen, Alonzo Cothron and Berlin Felton, thus the name A&B. The pair were featured in Life Magazine and established a reputation for outstanding seafood fine dining a tradition carried . . . — — Map (db m224457) HM
Maitland Adams began working as secretary for the Key West Box Company on February 21, 1914. The Box Factory, owned by Norberg Thompson, made cedar boxes for the cigar industry. When the cigar industry faltered as Americans started smoking . . . — — Map (db m222914) HM
Near this site lie the remains of 294 African men, women and children who died in Key West in 1860. In the summer of that year the U.S. Navy rescued 1,432 Africans from three American-owned ships engaged in the illegal slave trade. Ships bound for . . . — — Map (db m84722) HM
In memory of all who died because of this chemical.
And pray for those who are still suffering.
Remember Our Sacrifice
1967 Eternity — — Map (db m224878) WM
The cigar industry of Key West dates from 1831, when the first cigar factory was established. After the 1868 Cuban War of Independence, Key Wests cigar manufacturing industry boomed, reaching its zenith at the turn of the twentieth century. In . . . — — Map (db m127501) HM
Alfred Goldsboro Mayor, who studied the biology of many seas and here founded a laboratory for research for the Carnegie Institution directing it for XVIII years with conspicuous success, brilliant versatile courageous utterly forgetful of self. He . . . — — Map (db m9304) HM
Antipiracy Campaign
A major outbreak of piracy in the Caribbean began in 1815 after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. By 1820, it had reached epidemic proportions. In that year, pirates robbed twenty-seven American . . . — — Map (db m224138) WM
Asa Tift, was the son of Captain Amos Tift, one of the early settlers of Key West. He arrived here with his sons in 1825. Amos built a store in Key West that was taken over by Asa and his brothers on the death of their father. They expanded their . . . — — Map (db m222701) HM
Captain John H. Geiger, skilled pilot and master wrecker, built this house in 1830. It is typical of the era when, in 1832, the famed naturalist, John James Audubon, visited Key West to study and sketch the birds of the Florida Keys. On March 18, . . . — — Map (db m81832) HM
Michael Mabelty was appointed Principal Lighthouse Keeper in 1826 for the first Key West Lighthouse. His wife Barbara was hired as the Assistant Keeper. Michael did not serve long - he contracted yellow fever and died. Since his wife was familiar . . . — — Map (db m232473) HM
Welcome to the oldest Roman Catholic Parish in South Florida. There is evidence that Spanish Jesuits serving in Cuba first attempted to establish a mission in Key West as early as 1724.The first Catholic Church on the island was dedicated February . . . — — Map (db m101385) HM
Built by Benjamin Curry, Jr., the brother of Florida's first millionaire, the property has remained in the family for well over a century. His grandson, Beniamin Curry Moreno, was a city engineer responsible for developing Key West's modern roads . . . — — Map (db m223264) HM
Bernie Papy was born the 13th of 14 children in a family of modest means. He left school in the 6th grade to help support his family. In 1924, he entered the real estate business. Later with Victor Moffat and Charles Perez he bought Saunders . . . — — Map (db m223711) HM
Born in Key West, a Conch, "Bra" Saunders began his career as a commercial fisherman. As the demand for sport-fishing guides increased, he became a charter boat fisherman. In the 1930's he was fishing guide for Ernest Hemingway, taking him and his . . . — — Map (db m223742) HM
This is purported to be the second oldest house in Key West. Originally built as a two-room dwelling in 1834 by English merchant captain George Carey, who made his fortune in the wholesale liquor business, the home was enlarged in 1844 as a gift to . . . — — Map (db m222466) HM
Captain John Geiger arrived in Key West as a pilot for Commodore Porter's West Indies Squadron. Porter established the first naval base here in 1823. Captain Geiger remained in Key West after the navy moved to Pensacola. He was the first licensed . . . — — Map (db m222888) HM
Built by Captain Hellings, the manager of the International Ocean Telegraph Co. He married the daughter of William Curry, Florida's first millionaire. The Key West Woman's Club Purchased the home in 1940 and operated one half of the house as the . . . — — Map (db m224206) HM
Carlos Manuel de Cespedes de Cespedes was the son of Carlos M. de Cespedes a lawyer and wealthy Cuban planter who first raised the cry of "Cuba Libre" at his home in Bavamo
Cuba on October 10, 1868. His father is known as the great Liberator and . . . — — Map (db m223681) HM
Key West got its name from
a combination of cultures and
languages. Early Spanish
explorers named the island
Cayo Hueso which translates
in English as Bone Island.
The Tiano of Cuba call a small
island cayo. The . . . — — Map (db m224197) HM
Charles Helberg, a successful Chicago realtor, first visited Key West for a fishing trip during World War I. During one of his many return trips he bought his first real estate in Key West, an abandoned cigar factory at the corner of Flagler Avenue . . . — — Map (db m223562) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m223758) HM
In the middle of the night of January 13, 1861, three days after Florida had seceded from the Union, Capt. James M. Brannan, U.S. Army, marched his troops from their barracks on the northeastern side of the island to Fort Taylor on Key West's . . . — — Map (db m224146) HM WM
Following President Lincoln's order for a naval blockade of Confederate ports in 1861, the U.S. Navy established the East Gulf Blockading Squadron based at Fort Jefferson, Fort Taylor, and the port of Key West. The squadron's area of operations . . . — — Map (db m192413) HM
This monument represents two perspectives on how the Civil War affected the residents of Key West. The obelisk in the center of the memorial plot was erected by the Navy Club of Key West for the Union soldiers who lost their lives in Key West during . . . — — Map (db m85270) HM
After the USS Maine battleship was sunk in Havana, Cuba, in February 1898, the US military strengthened its operations in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to protect strategically important shipping lanes. This concrete pad is all that . . . — — Map (db m225119) HM
Building #1 is the oldest brick structure in Key West. It was built by the U.S. Navy as a coal depot and storehouse. Navy servicemen coordinated refueling steamships at this location from 1856-1900. During the Civil War, the Union's West Indies . . . — — Map (db m223008) HM
In 1892, a hardware store was constructed to service the surrounding cigar and fishing industry. In 1914 Jack and Rosa Williams opened Jack's Saloon. The saloon was well situated to wet the whistle of sailors, fishermen, and workers. By 1923, the . . . — — Map (db m223374) HM
Cold War
For the first time following a war, the military did not abandon Key West. As relations with the Soviet Union deteriorated, the Navy increased its shore-based and afloat organizations making Key West the largest anti-submarine . . . — — Map (db m224157) HM WM
(Front)
Dedicated to All Men and Women wounded in all our wars
My Stone is Red for
the Blood they Shed
the Medal I Bear
is My Countrys Way
to Show they Care
He who Sheds
Blood with Me
Shall forever be
My Brother . . . — — Map (db m224890) WM
David Porter went to sea in his youth with his father on merchant vessels. He entered the Navy in 1798 as a midshipman serving with distinction in the naval war with France and the war against the Tripoli pirates. He became a national hero during . . . — — Map (db m222905) HM
Built by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, a Canadian Order which first established a school here in 1868. Designed by William Kerr of Ireland, of Romanesque style, with dormered, mansard roofs and central tower. In the . . . — — Map (db m101297) HM
Founded in 1864, Cornish Chapel members began building their church in 1885. Designed to resemble European cathedrals, it served as a place of worship, school, and refuge during inclement weather. The foundation was quarried from the site and its . . . — — Map (db m101245) HM
Cuban Missile Crisis
Following the discovery of Russian nuclear missile installations in Cuba on October 15, 1962, large numbers of military troops and aircraft began arriving in Key West while destroyers and submarines in the harbor . . . — — Map (db m224166) HM WM
During October, 1962, United States intelligence sources confirmed Soviet construction of nuclear missile sites in Cuba. This provocation, coupled with the strains of the Cold War, was a direct nuclear threat to the United States. Fearing invasion . . . — — Map (db m192409) HM
Dade County pine is a highly
prized old growth lumber that
was the primary source of
wood used to build most of the
buildings in Key West's
Historic District during the
1800s. It is best known for its
ability to . . . — — Map (db m224176) HM
What do you do if enemy troops land on the beach and start across the moat? Catch them in a crossfire from howitzers in the bastions, which extend outward from the fort's six exterior walls. Howitzers could fire canisters that spewed golf ball-sized . . . — — Map (db m225710) HM
Look around you. From this vantage point, the sea seems to go on forever. Fort Jefferson appears to be in the middle of nowhere. But it is really at the gateway to some out-of-sight landmasses. To the south, 106 miles away, is Cuba. To the east, 68 . . . — — Map (db m225074) HM
J.Y. Porter was educated in the public schools of Burlington, New York. His professional training was at the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, PA, from which he graduated in 1870. That year he was appointed an acting surgeon in the United . . . — — Map (db m223716) HM
The Jeptha V Harris family moved from South Carolina to Mississippi, where he attended high school and graduated from the University of Mississippi. Jeptha studied medicine at the University of New York and South Carolina Medical College before . . . — — Map (db m223693) HM
Built as a two story house and later expanded with a rare third-story mansard roof with gabled dormers. Dr. Porter was born here in 1847 and died in the room of his birth 80 years later. Dr. Porter was Florida's first Public Health Officer. His . . . — — Map (db m223438) HM
The Gato Cigar Factory was constructed by Eduardo H. Gato in 1916. This Neo-Classical Revival, poured-concrete structure with a large central courtyard was constructed after an earlier wood frame factory on this site burned. Numerous windows . . . — — Map (db m93305) HM
This is the second Gato cigar factory located on this site. The first structure was a wooden factory built in 1884 and destroyed by fire in 1915. The second factory was built as a hurricane and fire proof structure in 1920. It features large windows . . . — — Map (db m99444) HM
Eduardo Gato was only eight years old when he left his father's home and walked to Havana to begin to learn the cigar business. During the Cuban Civil War, he moved to New York and worked in cigar factories while assisting the revolutionary movement . . . — — Map (db m223720) HM
This house, with its elaborate Queen Anne style detailing, was built c. 1894 by E. H. Gato, Sr. (1847-1926). The Gato family was one of Key West's most prominent families, and three generations of the family lived here until 1951. Eduardo H. Gato . . . — — Map (db m101296) HM
In 1846 Elisabetha Merklin left home in Oberhausen, Germany and sailed for Tampa, Florida to live with an uncle. According to her passport, carried in a tube around her neck, she was a citizen in good standing. The passport said she was leaving for . . . — — Map (db m223552) HM
Ellen Russell immigrated from Ireland to Trinidad when she was 13 years old to live with an uncle. Before she was 16,
she met and married Charles John Mallory, a Connecticut construction engineer. In 1820, the family moved to the United States, . . . — — Map (db m223516) HM
Named in Honor of
A Emma Carrero Cates
Key West City Commissioner 1983-1987
Member of the Monroe County Beach Advisory Board 1988-2001
For her tireless dedication and efforts in renourishment and
preservation of Monroe County . . . — — Map (db m225455) HM
Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, IL in 1899. During World War I, Hemingway served as a volunteer in the Red Cross Ambulance Corps, at which time he was severely wounded. After the war, he settled in Paris where he was a reporter for the . . . — — Map (db m223772) HM
Built in 1907, the Fire Department consisted of 12 paid firemen and 200 volunteers. It is believed to have been the oldest active fire station in Florida until it's closing in 1998. The Station has endured numerous hurricanes. One of the worst . . . — — Map (db m232016) HM
This is one of three Civil War era forts on the island. Construction began in 1862 making it part of a chain of fortifications that controlled Key West's maritime waterways. The architectural design is a Martello Tower, a Genoese defense system . . . — — Map (db m232191) HM
Fort Taylor was constructed in 1845 as part of the Third Tier System of Defense which called for the establishment of masonry fortresses constructed along Americas coastline to prevent sea attacks upon the United States. This fort was an important . . . — — Map (db m168313) HM
The Dry Tortugas keys sit at the crossroads of biologically rich sea currents, migratory bird routes, and strategic shipping lanes that link the eastern United States with Gulf Coast ports like New Orleans, Mobile, and Pensacola. From tiny coral . . . — — Map (db m226169) HM
This grand house was constructed by George Henry Curry in 1886. It is one of 7 Curry Mansions in Key West, and built by the children of Florida's first millionaire William Curry. Much of the family's wealth was built on servicing the sailing and . . . — — Map (db m233579) HM
Fort Jefferson, the largest all-masonry fort in the United States, was built between 1846 and 1875 to protect the nation's gateway to the Gulf of Mexico. Supply and subsidence problems and the Civil War delayed construction. Sections of the fort . . . — — Map (db m225108) HM
The 8- and 10-inch columbiads were standard U.S. cannon for coast defense. They were cast-iron, muzzle-loading smoothbores. The 8-inch weighed 9,210 pounds and when elevated 4” threw a 65-pound ball about a mile. From the top of the fort, the . . . — — Map (db m100238) HM
Harbor House, at 423 Front St., ravaged by fire twice in its history, is a two story brick building with a long Key West history. Built in 1885 by George Lewis and George Allen, this structure was home of the Bank of Key West, which the two men had . . . — — Map (db m224924) HM
Harry Truman born in Lamar, MO., was a farmer, army officer, county official and judge in Missouri before his election as a United States Senator in 1934. Truman was elected Vice President when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected for a . . . — — Map (db m222857) HM
272 entries matched your criteria. The first 100 are listed above. Next 100 ⊳
