Key West History

There are plenty of storytellers in Key West willing to share with you Key West's interesting and vast history. We don't want to duplicate their efforts. Instead, we at Key West Travel Guide are proud to offer early historical accounts, images, and documents related to the island.

Here, we hope you agree, is a wonderful glimpses into the past of the Florida Keys and Key West.

"Key West: The Old and the New" by Jefferson B. Browne.

Written in 1912, this is the most extensive historical text from that era. Fascinating...and not all pretty. You'll know more than most modern-day storytellers. Click on the titles below to read that chapter.

• Banks
• Baptist Church
• Benevolent Societies
• Burial Grounds
• Business
• Catholic Church
• Cigar Manufacturing
• Civil War
• Cuban Migration
• Education
• Episcopal Church
• Fire Department
• General History & Sketches
• Hospitals
• Hurricanes
• Indian Hostilities
• Mail and Steamship Service
• Methodist Church
• Military Base
• Militia
• Naval Base
• Newspapers
• Politics
• Salt Manufacturing
• Spanish American War
• The Municipality

Island description from 1920s era Souveneir Folder of Key West, by islander F. Johnson.

Florida State Hotel Commission publication from 1930

"Florida: Empire of the Sun", chapter titled "Key West and the Florida Keys".

Here are some wonderful postcards of Key West from the 1940s (and one the '70s):

• Aquarium Turtles
• Aquarium
• Casa Marina
• County Courthouse
• Harris School
• Mallory Square 1958 photo

Early Sloppy Joe's Photos

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