The Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House is a historic home in

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. It is located at 429 Caroline Street. On June 4, 1973, it was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The original construction was built in 1838 by Judge James Webb, the first Federal Judge of the Southern District of the Florida Territory. Webb introduced influential legislation regulating salvage, which helped establish wrecking as a legitimate legal business in Florida. The house is best known as the lifelong home of Dr. Joseph Yates Porter Jr. His father bought the property in 1845. Porter lived in the home for 80 years, dying in the same room he was born. He was Key West's first native-born physician and Florida's first Public Health Officer from 1889 to 1917. He was instrumental in controlling

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

, reforming sanitation and quarantine practices, and initiating health legislation. Porter was among the first physicians to recognize yellow fever as transmissible by mosquitoes.

References

External links

Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs

Monroe County listings

Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House
* History of Key West, Florida Houses in Key West, Florida Landmarks in Key West, Florida National Register of Historic Places in Key West, Florida Historic American Buildings Survey in Florida {{MonroeCountyFL-NRHP-stub