Key West, Florida, USA
1854 - Key West City

Key West City, a port of entry and capital of Monroe county, Florida, on a small island of its own name. It is the most populous town of the state, and occupies an import ant position as the key to the Florida Pass and the Gulf of Mexico. The island of Key West is 4 miles long by 1 mile wide, and elevated not more than 20 feet above the level of the sea. It is of coral formation, with little available soil. The name is said to be a corruption of Cayo Hueto, or Bone Key. and has no relation to the position of the island, which is not the most western of the reef. The town is laid out with streets 50 feet wide, crossing each other at right angles. It contains Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, and Roman Catholic churches, 5 schools, 26 stores, 10 warehouses, 650 houses, and about 3000 inhabitants. The marine hospital is a fine building, 100 feet long by 45 feet wide. The harbor is capacious, safe, and easily accessible for ships of 22 feet draught. The principal business of Key West is derived from the salvages and other perquisites of wrecked vessels, which amount to about $200,000 annually. This business is not, as some sup pose, a species of piracy, but is conducted under equitable rules, for the mutual benefit of the parties. From 30 to 50 vessels are usually wrecked every year in this vicinity. The entrance of the harbor is defended by Fort .Taylor, a large and very costly structure. Key West is a military station of the United States...

The Charleston and Havana steamer touches at this port once a week, which is the only regular communication with the mainland. About 30,000 bushels of salt are made annually in the island by solar evaporation, and sponges are procured and exported in large quantities. First settled in 1822.


A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States: Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy ... Thomas Baldwin (of Philadelphia.) Joseph Thomas January 1, 1854 Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Company 1854.

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