Historic Key West Cemetery
The Historic Florida Keys Foundation has an agreement with the City of Key West to provide preservation and educational services for the Cemetery.
Foundation staff offer walking tours of the Cemetery twice a week. These tours raise dedicated funds for Cemetery preservation, and notably, in October 2005, were featured nationwide on PBS television’s “Cemetery Special.”
For further information and reservations please call 305-292-6718 or click below to email us.
Other Foundation Contributions
- A handsome cast metal historical marker inside the main gate
- Gravestone funded for Frank Adams, the first African American Monroe County deputy killed in the line of duty
- A revised and expanded walking tour brochure of the Cemetery
- Gravestones provided for the English Nelon Family, Ellen Sanchez, George & Olivia Adderly, along with a memorial for Sandy Cornish
Cemetery History
Key West Cemetery was founded in 1847 following a hurricane the previous year that destroyed the earlier cemetery located near present day Higgs Beach. To protect from future flooding, the 19 acre cemetery was located on Solares Hill, the highest natural elevation in Key West. An estimated 75,000 people are interred here, divided among parcels that reflect the cultural diversity that continues to characterize the city of Key West today. The cemetery contains a historic Catholic section, Jewish sections, the USS Maine Plot dedicated in 1900, and the Los Martires de Cuba, a memorial for those who fought in the 1868 Cuban revolution.
Cemetery Map
