Key West Cemetery — Attraction in Key West

In the heart of Key West's Old Town, a 19-acre plot of land holds more stories than the island itself can tell. The Historic Key West Cemetery, established in 1847 after a hurricane disinterred the previous burial ground, stands as both historical archive and cultural mosaic of this southernmost American outpost.

Under the relentless Florida sun, some 100,000 souls rest here, more than three times the island's current population, in a dense arrangement of above-ground tombs necessitated by the island's stubborn limestone bedrock and high water table. Walking along the cemetery's named streets and avenues (an unconventional city planning approach for the dead), visitors discover a remarkable cross-section of Key West's layered history.

The cemetery's architecture tells its own tale of cultural confluence. Gothic arches, classical columns, ornate Victorian monuments, and simple concrete slabs coexist in visual conversation. The elegant white "PAPY" mausoleum with its decorative ironwork stands in stark contrast to weathered family plots with crumbling markers. Many graves bear the unmistakable patina of the harsh marine environment, salt-etched, hurricane-battered, and in alarming states of disrepair. Broken columns, toppled stones, and fading inscriptions aren't merely aesthetic concerns but represent the potential erasure of irreplaceable historical records.

What distinguishes this burial ground is its representation of Key West's unique position as cultural crossroads. The "Los Martires de Cuba" section honors those who fought for Cuban independence, with Cuban and American flags flying side by side. This multicultural heritage extends throughout, with sections dedicated to various religious denominations and cultural groups that have shaped the island's identity.

The cemetery's famous epitaphs reveal the characteristic wit of conch republic denizens. While Pearl Roberts' gravestone declaring "I told you I was sick" remains the most celebrated, Gloria Russell's "I'm just resting my eyes" follows closely in the tradition of Keys humor that persists beyond the grave.

Notable residents include victims of the USS Maine disaster, Confederate sailors, and "Sloppy" Joe Russell (1889-1941), Ernest Hemingway's drinking companion and owner of the famous bar. Yet for every well-maintained memorial to a famous resident, dozens of historically significant markers slowly surrender to time and elements.

The cemetery's current condition presents a preservation paradox. While some family plots receive meticulous care, many others, whose descendants have either departed or died themselves, fall into neglect. Without a substantial endowment or perpetual care fund, this open-air museum of Key West history faces an uncertain future. The city's limited resources cannot address the extensive restoration needs, from stabilizing foundations to repairing broken markers and reinforcing weathered inscriptions.

What's needed is a community-wide commitment to preserve this irreplaceable historical resource. A dedicated preservation fund with contributions from tourism revenue, private donors, and preservation grants could establish the sustainable care these grounds deserve. Without such intervention, each tropical storm and hurricane season threatens to further diminish this unique chronicle of island life.

For visitors, the cemetery offers more than macabre tourism, it presents a compressed historical record of this unique American outpost. Under swaying palms and against brilliant blue skies, Key West Cemetery embodies the island itself: weathered yet resilient, serious yet irreverent, multicultural yet distinctly individual, a place where history and humor rest eternally side by side, awaiting the care that will ensure they remain legible for...

I have spent days in the Key West Cemetery over the years - early morning, during the day and in the sunset hours …

the Key West Cemetery offers solemn moments, laughter, history and visions of art …

the cemetery is filled with memories of so many Key West Characters - the memories I have selected are a mere few of so many memories …

the baby that was born the last day of 1965 and died the 1st day of 1966 captured my heart …

“Pearl” the hypochondriac whose marker says “I Told You I Was Sick”,l is a classic attraction …

the ARTist metal-work fencing and ARTist monument structures attract my attention …

the iguanas that live above ground and under many grave stones add LIFE to the cemetery …

joggers will use the paths, visitors will walk about attending to their relatives and planes from the Key West airport will occasionally break the silence of the cemetery - there is LIFE in this place …

I would be honored to have the Key West Cemetery share the memory of “Run-A-Way Bill” when my time comes - not so much my physical remains as leave a unique memory that would make people smile …

I have learned that “we die twice” - the 1st time when our body goes and the second and final time when “the last person alive says our name out loud” …

13.24.23 Saturday Christmas Eve’s Eve

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The Key West Cemetery is alive with history, one-of-a-kind grave markers since 1847 (& a couple transferred from old Key West Cemetery, various lizards, roosters & chickens, strolling visitors, international airport jets flying low overhead (landing approach).

Still an active cemetery, including cemetery tours or self-tour maps. Admiring the unique headstones/foot-stones, humorous quotes, “Remember the Maine” disaster memorial, plus will take hours, if not weeks.

A “Run-A-Way Bill” Favorite Key West...

My wife and I recently stayed not too far from the cemetery and decided to take a walk through it on our first afternoon where we met a cat we called "Stony" due to the headstones. We walked about half of it and went on our way. Each night we wound up walking by the cemetery and hoped to see or hear something, but nothing of significance besides a single bang which sounded like two pieces of wood striking one another that sounded like it came within the cemetery, but who knows. I walked the remaining property before our departure back to Tampa. There is a lot of history and I would recommend it as a way to spend a morning or late afternoon. You know to...