Key West

Click HERE to learn why the Florida Keys are called...
The Conch Republic.

Did you know that during the Civil War,
Key West was part of the Union?

1603... Key West was discovered by the Spanish.

1828... Key West was founded as a city to serve as a military and maritime outpost. The Key West harbor had been a haven for seagoing men from pirates to fishermen to wreckers from Cuba and the Bahamas.

1851... Key West, through the salvage of wrecked ships on the surrounding reefs, became the richest city (per capita) in the United States.

1900... Key West, by the turn of the century, was Florida's largest city in population. The island economy, with the money from sponging, fishing and seaport activity, was one of the best in the United States.

1912... Key West was connected to the mainland by Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway, on January 22nd.

World Wars... Because of its strategic location in the Straits of Florida, and since its earliest times, Key West had been called the Gibraltar of the Caribbean. During World War I and II it played an important role in the training and staging of our navy and naval air forces.

1930's... Facing the removal of the military, the collapse of the cigar business, a sponge blight and the depression, Key West became the only city to turn over its charter to the federal and state governments. World War II brought the city back to life.

1970's... The military closed the naval base and Key West once again fell on hard times. With increased tourism as a goal, the city laid the foundation for its future.

Today... Key West, an American Caribbean island situated 130 miles from the south Florida mainland, is a visual smorgasbord. It's one of those places that must be seen and experienced first-hand in order to truly grasp its uniqueness. These pictures are only a glimpse of all that can be seen in Key West. Pictures on a web site can't begin to represent the beauty and excitement of Key West.

Art, the cemetery, local charm, and big bugs

Planes, ships, Fantasy Fest, and the Key West Lighthouse

Half of the Friday night Fantasy Fest parade travels down Fleming Street, right in front of the Curry House!

Sunsets, Wyland mural, and the Western Union

Intelligent art on display at
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park
(February 2005)