Key West Shipwreck Historeum and Museum - For a time, Key West was the richest city in the US. Relive those days
of shipwrecks and recovered treasure, and learn about a city now more rich in
history than it ever was in gold. The Shipwreck Historeum is Key West's chronicle of the history of wrecking. Set in an authentic old observation tower used by wreckers to spot sinking ships, the historeum lets visitors view items from real wrecks off the reef of Key West. They focus on one wreck in particular, the Isaac Allerton. This ship sank off Washer Woman shoalin 1856 in a hurricane. It contained Italian marble destined for the Customs House in New Orleans. The wreck laid in deep water so salvaging was difficult. Wreckers managed to bring up about $50,000 worth of goods, nevertheless. The ship measured 137 feet and weighed almost 600 tons. It had been built in 1838 in New Hampshire for hauling cargo. Its regular route was up and down the East coast and through the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean. The historeum guide will tell you that there is still some marble down on the ocean's floor if you want to go and get it. They have large pictures of what the New Orleans Customs Hosue looks like with the beautiful Corinthian capitals, to give you and idea of the precious cargo that sank in 1856.
Wrecking was a big deal in Key West in the nineteenth century. The museum offers a glimpse of what a wrecker's wharehouse might have looked like. There's a piano and other luxury goods of the era, which eventually ended up in the homes of Key West. About a hundred ships a da passed by in the Florida Keys and at least one a week crashed on the reef. Wreckers kept a keen eye out for ailing ships, from the top of hte 65-foot observation tower. Visitors to the historeum can climb up and have a wonderful bird's eye view of the City of Key West. Beware the loud bell, which kids just love to ring.
Back inside the museum, visitors can also seem items from Key West's wrecking court. Wreckres didn't just get to keep what they found. They had to turn it in to the court, whose judge would decide who go what percentage. The finding wrecker got the largest cut, with other wreckers getting less. The actual items were auctioned off.
Salvaging made Key West rich but by the 1920s it was all over. The advent of the railroad and better navigational aids killed the industry. The courts closed in 1921.
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