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
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
The cigar industry of Key West dates from 1831, when the first cigar factory was established. After the 1868 Cuban War of Independence, Key West’s 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 America’s coastline to prevent sea attacks upon the United States. This fort was an important . . . — — Map (db m168313) 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
“...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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Oldest in Florida Diocese, the present church (1912) is the fourth on this site. John Fleeming, one of the four original owners of the island, is buried here. His widow donated the property, stipulating that the church pews be free. Rectory built . . . — — Map (db m84328) HM
This concrete structure was
built on the mainland and
transported by Flagler's
railroad to the current
location in 1917. Its purpose
was to protect the connection
between the land line and the
125 mile long underwater
telegraph cable lines . . . — — Map (db m192426) HM
Captain Phillip Cosgrove
purchased this stately home
for the price of $1,600 in
1871. This was a prime
location with its proximity to
the deep-water port and in
what was then the center of
the city. It's believed that the
Captain's wife . . . — — Map (db m192423) HM
These coral islands surrounded by warm water are ideal habitats for birds, turtles, shellfish, coral, fish, and other form of ocean life. Nearby Bush Key is a spectacle of sooty and noddy terns during their March to September nesting season. View . . . — — Map (db m100242)
In 1773 George Gauld, a British surveyor & cartographer, placed the Southernmost Point at 24°29'N latitude and 82°35'W longitude. At the time Cayo Hueso, now called Key West, was part of the Spanish Empire. John Simonton purchased the island . . . — — Map (db m87412) HM
Built in 1890 on the waterfront as a two-family dwelling for the base commandant and paymaster, this building was known as Quarters A and B. It was converted into a single-family residence in 1911. President William Howard Taft visited this site in . . . — — Map (db m32659) HM
Built in 1890 as quarters for Navy officers, the Little White House later was used by American Presidents William Howard Taft, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Truman used the facility as a vacation . . . — — Map (db m32655) HM
At the end of 1822, mere
months after the first US flag
was planted in Key West,
Commodore David Porter was
sent to take charge. Porter
commanded the West Indian
Squadron nicknamed the
"Mosquito Fleet". Porter was
ordered to end the reign . . . — — Map (db m192412) HM
Built about 1838 and moved to this location after the hurricane of 1846, the Patterson-Baldwin House is believed to be one of the oldest buildings in Key West. The Classical Revival style house is reputed to have been built, but never occupied, by . . . — — Map (db m84333) HM
Constructed in 1886 by Samuel Otis Johnson. The structure started out as a grocery and butcher shop as well as a residence. It was purchased in 1913 by Dr. William Richard Warren. Doctor Warren's medical offices consisted of the front porch used as . . . — — Map (db m85272) HM
Built with bricks from Fort Taylor dating back to 1845, this building is one of Key West's first hotels. It featured a car dealership on the first floor and hotel rooms on the upper two floors. Ernest Hemingway and his wife stayed here in 1928, and . . . — — Map (db m134524) HM
This house was built for
the commanding officer
of the Key West
Submarine Base, but it was
President Harry S. Truman's
use of the site for working
vacations that earned it fame
as "The Little White House."
During Truman's 11 trips
here from . . . — — Map (db m192419) HM
On February 9, 1870, a joint Congressional resolution authorized a national weather service. As one of the original observation stations, Key West was critical for weather forecasters. The Department of Agriculture purchased this lot in 1903 on the . . . — — Map (db m127504) HM
(side 1)
In April of 1898 it was graciously offered and converted to a 400 bed United States Army Hospital for the treatment of soldiers and sailors, ill with dangerous tropical diseases or wounded in battle, during Cuba's War of . . . — — Map (db m101295) HM
Fort engineers designed an innovative system to collect and store rainwater to provide fresh water for the islands 1500 planned residents.
Garden Key receives about 30 inches of rain a year. Rain falling on the fort's top tier filtered down . . . — — Map (db m193731) HM
What's so special about the Seaport?
For almost two hundred years, the Seaport (shown in the map at right as the shoreline just below the compass rose) has been a focal point for much of the economic and cultural life on the island. The . . . — — Map (db m151494) HM
This structure is one of three Civil War era forts in Key West. They were built as a defensive chain around the island and support for Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. No cannons were ever fired and no soldier died in battle at this . . . — — Map (db m85261) HM
Connecticut mariner and wrecker Benjamin Sawyer built the first house on this property by 1844. From 1888-1890, much of Key West's port business took place in Sawyer's home, until the completion of the federal Custom House. Key West native and . . . — — Map (db m127809) HM
