
Sunrise: 07:11 AM EST - Sunset: 06:02 PM EST
Tour 1: Mallory, Front and Greene Streets
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.