__NOTOC__ The Pigeon Key Historic District is a

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., ...

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

(designated as such on March 16, 1990) located on

Pigeon Key Pigeon Key is a small island containing the historic district of Pigeon Key, Florida. The island is home to 8 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, some of which remain from its earliest incarnation as a work camp for the Flor ...

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 ...

. The district is off

U.S. 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, ...

at mile marker 45. It contains 11 historic buildings and 3 structures. Although the old

Seven Mile Bridge The Seven Mile Bridge is a bridge in the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It connects Knight's Key (part of the city of Marathon, Florida) in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Among the longest bridg ...

crosses over the island, at approximately mile marker 45, west of Knight's Key, (city of

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

in the middle Florida Keys) and just east of

Moser Channel Moser Channel is the deepest passage spanned by the Seven Mile Bridge and is one of four predominant passages in the Florida Keys which allow exchange of waters to the north and west of the Keys (including Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico) wit ...

, which is the deepest section of the seven-mile span, it and its exit ramp to the island were closed in 2008 and not reopened until 2022. While the bridge was closed, access was by ferry or private watercraft only, but in 2014

FDOT The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of t ...

approved a $77 million plan to restore it. The old bridge was restored and reopened in 2022. The island is named "Cayo Paloma" on many old Spanish charts. The island is said to be named for large flocks of

white-crowned pigeon The white-crowned pigeon (''Patagioenas leucocephala'') is a fruit and seed-eating species of bird in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. It is found primarily in the Caribbean. John James Audubon painted these pigeons, including the waterco ...

s (''Columba leucocephala'' Linnaeus) which once roosted there. During the building of Henry Flagler's

Overseas Railroad The Overseas Railroad (also known as Florida Overseas Railroad, the Overseas Extension, and Flagler's Folly) was an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, Florida, Key West, a city located beyond the end of the Florida peninsula ...

Key West Extension, a major construction depot was located there, the jumping off point for construction of the

. A number of buildings from the Flagler era remain on the island. They are now part of the Pigeon Key Historic District. A rare

three-way bridge A multi-way bridge is a bridge with three or more distinct and separate spans, where one end of each span meets at a common point near the centre of the bridge. Unlike other bridges which have two entry-exit points, multi-way bridges have three ...

, now partially abandoned, is located there.

Popular culture

This place was featured during the 18th-season finale as the Finish Line of the hit-reality series, '' The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business''.

Gallery

File:Pigeon Key.jpg, Partial view of Pigeon Key. The old Seven Mile Bridge is shown crossing the island in the background. The exit ramp is shown to the left. File:Pigeon Key FL bridges01.jpg, Pigeon Key, from the east. Old Seven Mile Bridge on right, new one on left File:Pigeon Key FL HD assistant bridge tenders house01.jpg, Assistant bridge tender's house File:Pigeon Key FL HD foreman house and bridge01.jpg, Old bridge and foreman's house File:Pigeon Key FL old bridge ramp01.jpg, Ramp that comes off old bridge File:Pigeon Key FL old bridge under04.jpg, Under ramp that comes off old bridge File:Pigeon Key FL old bridge01.jpg, Old bridge File:Pigeon Key FL old bridge12.jpg, Old bridge

References

External links

Monroe County listings
a
National Register of Historic PlacesPigeon Key Foundation
Florida Keys National Register of Historic Places in Monroe County, Florida Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Tourist attractions in the Florida Keys {{MonroeCountyFL-NRHP-stub