Sunrise: 06:58 AM EDT - Sunset: 08:06 PM EDT
Tour 1: Mallory, Front and Greene Streets
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In 1821 Lieutenant Matthew C. Perry hoisted the American flag on Key West, and the U.S. Navy commandeered the island’s southern waterfront. By 1825 Key West was a bustling community, with wharves, shipyards and warehouses stuffed with salvaged riches. Congress passed legislation providing that all salvage taken from wrecks in U.S. waters be brought to an American port for arbitration. In 1828 a Federal court was set up for that purpose in Key West, and almost overnight, wreckers from all over, including the Bahamas, moved to Key West.
Tour 2: Harborwalk & Caroline Street
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Outstanding examples of the West-Indian flavored tropical architecture that distinguishes Key West are found along Caroline Street--the earliest, rather posh neighborhood. Along the way, see the metal Presidential Gates leading into the former 1823 Naval Station, now privatized as Truman Annex, Milton W. Curry's turn-of-the-century mansion, two Porter Family multi-generation manses, Robert Frost's cottage, and the waterfront HarborWalk along the Key West Bight. Traverse the sights by foot or bike and you will be rewarded.
Tour 3: Fleming Street
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Fleming Street is named for John W. Fleeming, from Alabama, one of the island's original 4 proprietors. He joined John W. Simonton, a Mobile land speculator who purchased of Key West, for the grand sum of $2,000 in 1822.
Tour 4: Southard Street
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The public service record of Samuel L. Southard, Princeton grad, is impressive. President James Monroe selected New Jersey Senator Southard to be Secretary of the Navy in September, 1823, and he remained in office under President J. Q. Adams. Southard proved to be one of the most effective of the Navy's early Secretaries. Secretary Southard oversaw Navy forces in Key West just as the K.W. Naval Station opened and Commodore David Porter commanded the Key West expedition for suppressing piracy in the West Indies in 1823–25. Southard Street runs east-west in Old Town, from Emma Street north to White Street.
Tour 5: Truman Annex & the Forts
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For military and history buffs, here’s an architectural tour of significant 19th and early 20th century historic structures on Key West’s former Naval Station (1823-1974). De-commissioned in 1974, the Station was re-named for former President Harry Truman, who spent 11 working vacations here. Twenty-three properties were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The island's military trail also includes 3 Civil War era fortifications that U.S. miitary enthusiasts will enjoy. Finally, Fort Jefferson, located in the Dry Tortugas National Park, can be visited by air or boat.
Brief History
The Key West Naval Station played a vital role in the history of America's coastal defense system for over 150 years. Known as "the Gibraltar of the Gulf," the station commanded the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico at the Atlantic. In 1823 Commodore David Porter headquartered the West Indian Anti-Piracy Squadron at the strategic harbor to suppress piracy in the Caribbean. From 1823-1835 Porter, in charge of the Mosquito Fleet, established a naval port, barracks and a hospital. From the 1820s through the Civil War, Spanish-American War, both world wars and the Cuban Missile Crisis, naval forces were active. In 1986 the vacated 44-acre former Station was sold at public auction. Pritam Singh, an aggressive, turban-bedecked 33-year old American, paid $17.25 million for the old base. Rehabilitation, redevelopment and new construction for 25 years created an upscale planned residential community. Walk the neighborhood; be dazzled by the lush tropical landscape, water vistas and heritage architecture.
Brief History
The Key West Naval Station played a vital role in the history of America's coastal defense system for over 150 years. Known as "the Gibraltar of the Gulf," the station commanded the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico at the Atlantic. In 1823 Commodore David Porter headquartered the West Indian Anti-Piracy Squadron at the strategic harbor to suppress piracy in the Caribbean. From 1823-1835 Porter, in charge of the Mosquito Fleet, established a naval port, barracks and a hospital. From the 1820s through the Civil War, Spanish-American War, both world wars and the Cuban Missile Crisis, naval forces were active. In 1986 the vacated 44-acre former Station was sold at public auction. Pritam Singh, an aggressive, turban-bedecked 33-year old American, paid $17.25 million for the old base. Rehabilitation, redevelopment and new construction for 25 years created an upscale planned residential community. Walk the neighborhood; be dazzled by the lush tropical landscape, water vistas and heritage architecture.
Tour 6: Whitehead Street
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This tour begins at the southeast end of Whitehead, at the Southernmost Point. Whitehead Street, known as Main Street in the 1820s, originally traversed the island as a 6,500 foot long military road. According to William Whitehead’s 1829 Survey, it was officially renamed Whitehead Street when brother John bought one quarter of the island from John Simonton.
The tour proceeds 14 blocks down Whitehead toward Mallory Square. Along the way see noteworthy examples of Key West’s wooden houses built during the Victorian era. Author Ernest Hemingway lived at 907 Whitehead, an 1851 coral rock home, during the Thirties. Almost daily, Papa strode down Whitehead Street toward Sloppy Joe's after his morning writing regimen. Traces of Key West's Cuban cigar industry are visible in the neighborhood. Walk or bike around Key West’s Afro-Caribbean community, now called Bahama Village. Stop at Mile Marker 0, the terminus of US 1. Jackson Square, Monroe County's 1890 brick courthouse and a magnificent kapok tree, are mid-tour.The Audubon House and portions of the Naval Station are en route.
The tour proceeds 14 blocks down Whitehead toward Mallory Square. Along the way see noteworthy examples of Key West’s wooden houses built during the Victorian era. Author Ernest Hemingway lived at 907 Whitehead, an 1851 coral rock home, during the Thirties. Almost daily, Papa strode down Whitehead Street toward Sloppy Joe's after his morning writing regimen. Traces of Key West's Cuban cigar industry are visible in the neighborhood. Walk or bike around Key West’s Afro-Caribbean community, now called Bahama Village. Stop at Mile Marker 0, the terminus of US 1. Jackson Square, Monroe County's 1890 brick courthouse and a magnificent kapok tree, are mid-tour.The Audubon House and portions of the Naval Station are en route.
Tour 7: Literary Landmarks
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“Key West,” Wallace Stevens once wrote in a letter, “is the real thing... the sweetest doing nothing contrived.” Ernest Hemingway, tipped off by John Dos Passos, who described it as “looking like something in a dream,” stopped off in 1928. A literary parade of writers, poets and songwriters have followed in Papa Hemingway’s footsteps. The last resort, at the end of a southern archipelago, is Key West--a two-by-four mile expanse of limestone rock that's infused with culture, history, intriguing characters and a tradition of "live and let live." Its enduring charms and an allure of subtropical palms, a turquoise sea, and an adventurous spirit, have lured authors, novelists, short- story writers, playwrights, biographers, journalists,publishers and literary agents to the island. The frost-free city is America's foot in the Caribbean. A spark of creativity and the notion of sanctuary continue to draw creative types seeking a haven to this wintertime retreat. Pulitzer prizes, and even a Nobel prize, have been awarded to writers calling Key West home during the last century. Key West has spun a magical web. From Ernest Hemingway to John Dos Passos, from Elizabeth Bishop and John Dewey to Tennessee Williams, from poet Robert Frost to Cuban patriot Jose Marti, to contemporary writers such as Thomas Sanchez, Annie Dillard and James Gleick--all have been captivated and inspired.