The Key West Cemetery is a cemetery at the foot of

Solares Hill Solares Hill is the highest point of land on the island of Key West in the lower Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida. Solares Hill derives its name from Victorio Solares, born on 30 April 1849 in Coya, Asturias, Spain. He immigrated to K ...

on the island of

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 ...

United States 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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is estimated that as many as 100,000 people are buried there, many more than the 30,000 residents who currently live on the island. It is in the northwest section of the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

area of the island.

History

In 1847 it was established at its current location after an 1846 hurricane washed dead bodies from the earlier cemetery out of the coastal sand dunes on Whitehead Point near the

West Martello Tower The West Martello Tower (also known as the Key West Garden Club) is a historic martello tower in Key West, Florida, United States. It is located at 1100 Atlantic Boulevard. On June 24, 1976, it was added to the U.S. The United State ...

s. An African Memorial Cemetery was dedicated beside the West Martello Tower in 2009. Slaves, ill from the sea voyage to slavery in "The New World," were buried there prior to the US Civil War. In 2005, the cemetery was among those profiled in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

documentary ''

A Cemetery Special Richard "Rick" Sebak (born June 5, 1953) is an American public broadcasting television producer, writer and narrator who lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. Early life and education Richard Sebak was born on Jun ...

''. One headstone has a birthdate of 1792. Another records a death in 1843.

Notable Grave Sites

* “Sloppy” Joe Russell (1889-1941) * B.P. “Pearl” Roberts (1929-1979) - “I Told you I was Sick.” * Gloria M. Russell (1926-2000) - “I’m just resting my eyes.” * Miriam Albury (1882-1933) - Stuffed bunny on the grave for 14+ years

Gallery

Keywestcemetery2.jpg, "A los martires de cuba" Section for Cuban independence fighters in the

Ten Years' War The Ten Years' War ( es, Guerra de los Diez Años; 1868–1878), also known as the Great War () and the War of '68, was part of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. O ...

Key West Cemetery Battleship Maine.jpg, Battleship ''Maine'' memorial section Keywestcemetery4.jpg, Area containing Confederate Navy sailors' graves Keywestcemetery3.jpg, Historic Angel grave marker

References

External links

Aerial View from Google Maps
* {{Coord, 24.556418, -81.795077, display=title

Cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

Cemeteries in Florida Protected areas of Monroe County, Florida 1847 establishments in Florida Historic American Buildings Survey in Florida