This is the only community pool open to the public in Key West. The pool and community center were built during segregation for the residents of black town. It was renamed for Martin Luther King Jr, the leader of the American Civil Rights Movement . . . — — Map (db m243934) HM
During and after the Civil War, the US government used Fort Jefferson as a prison for hundreds of military deserters and convicts, but a civilian was the fort's most famous prisoner. Dr. Samuel A. Mudd arrived at the fort in July 1865 with three . . . — — Map (db m240137) 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
Before 1492, Cuba was populated by at least two distinct indigenous peoples: Taino and Siboney (some consider these populations to be Neo-Taino Nations). These two groups were prehistoric cultures in a time period during which humans created . . . — — Map (db m243874) 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
The windows of a building are often referred to as the "eyes" of the structure. Eyebrow houses, an architectural style unique to the Florida Keys and the Caribbean, got their name due to the overhanging porch roof that partially obscures second . . . — — Map (db m243936) HM
This is the third and largest cigar factory owned and operated in Key West by cigar manufacturer Ferdinand Hirsch. Hirsch originally came to Key West from New York and started producing cigars in 1892 during Key West's cigar boom. Hirsch owned this . . . — — Map (db m243847) HM
Ferries were the lifelines of the Florida Keys during the last century. Henry Flagler relied on these vessels both to build the Over-Sea Railroad, which stretched 156 miles from the mainland to Key West, and to carry his train cars over 90 miles of . . . — — Map (db m243842) 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
You are standing on 134 acres of land created in 1910 to house Flagler's train terminal. The two Coast Guard piers nearest you date back to 1912. They were built as an integral part of Henry Flagler's plan to use his railroad to connect the United . . . — — Map (db m243841) 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
Quick Facts
Longest serving U.S. coastal fortification (1861-1947)
Originally sited 1,100 feet off the island of Key West to protect its harbor
Held by the Union Army for the duration of the American Civil War
Never fired upon . . . — — Map (db m240158) 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
One of 3 civil war era forts built in Key West. At the onset of the Civil War, the Union seized control of the fort preventing it from falling into Confederate hands. It played an important role curtailing the threat of Confederate blockade runners. . . . — — Map (db m240149) HM
This gymnasium is the remains of the fourth Fredric Douglass High School. Named for Frederic Douglass, a black social reformer, abolitionist, orator and statesman. The first school was built in 1884. It was built to separate and educate the black . . . — — Map (db m243931) 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
Edward H. Gato created one of the first successful industrial communities in the US. By building 40 cigar makers cottages around his cigar factory Gato attracted the most talented workers. The homes were simple two room wooden structures, with a . . . — — Map (db m243849) 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
The Northwest Bastion provides an excellent view of the Key West Harbor. To the left (south) is the main ship channel and to the right (north) is the main harbor.
Blockade Headquarters
Key West was the headquarters of the East Coast . . . — — Map (db m240183) 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
Henry Flagler grew up in New York and Ohio and left home to make his fortune at the age of 14. In 1867, with a loan of $100,000 he entered the oil refinery partnership with John D. Rockefeller. They founded Standard Oil Company which by 1884 was the . . . — — Map (db m222870) HM
Henry Flagler grew up in New York and Ohio, and left home at the age of 14 to make his fortune. In 1867 with a loan of $100.000, he entered the oil refinery partnership with John D. Rockefeller that became the Standard Oil Company. By 1884 it was . . . — — Map (db m224555) HM
In the Beginning
On December 22, 1968, Howard S. England and a small group of volunteers started an eight-and-a-half year quest at Fort Taylor. Using shovels and a borrowed civilian construction crane, they began the search for American Civil . . . — — Map (db m240162) HM
Cayo Hueso y Habana
Spanish/Cuban Key West
The Spanish Cayo Hueso literally translates to Bone Island, the first name of the island we now know as Key West. It was given by the Spaniards who discovered scattered . . . — — Map (db m231884) HM
Cayo Hueso y Habana
Spanish/Cuban Key West
The Spanish Cayo Hueso literally translates to Bone Island, the first name of the island we now know as Key West. It was given by the Spaniards who discovered scattered . . . — — Map (db m231886) HM
National Park Service rangers, researchers, maintenance workers, and their families live here year-round. Most of them live in small apartments built within the fort's casemates and have their own kitchen, bedrooms, living room, and bathroom. Staff . . . — — Map (db m240103) HM
“...upon occasion of the prevalence of the yellow fever...Samuel A. Mudd devoted himself to the care and cure of the sick and interposed his courage and skill to protect the garrison...from peril and alarm, and thus...saved many valuable lives . . . — — Map (db m9305) HM
After the Great Fire of 1886, Indian Block became a popular building material. The all concrete material was heralded as fire proof. Portable concrete forms were used to shape hand mixed cement into uniform blocks of concrete with an easily . . . — — Map (db m245268) HM
This block, which was originally on the water's edge, housed seven structures that supported some of the islands most important industries. There was a large cigar box factory, a sawmill, a building to kiln dry wood, and lumber storage buildings. . . . — — Map (db m222664) HM
Most of Fort Jefferson's heavy guns were mounted in intricately built casemates like this one. Notice the arched ceiling, which was designed to transfer the massive weight of brick and cannon on the upper tiers to the vertical piers. To build the . . . — — Map (db m240108) HM
This wooden structure was built in the 1880s by a wealthy Charleston merchant. The private residence was well situated in what was then the center of town. In 1908, the owners transformed the house into a hotel in anticipation of the completion of . . . — — Map (db m232330) HM
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 ιmigrι 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 1870s. 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
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 Josι Martν,
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
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 182526 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 Wests leading merchant for forty years. Wm. Curry Sons maritime business amassed a fortune during the . . . — — Map (db m127502) 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
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