Key West Cemetery

Key West Cemetery was founded in 1847 after a hurricane the previous year destroyed the earlier cemetery near present day Higgs Beach. To protect against future flooding, the 19-acre cemetery was established on Solares Hill, the highest natural elevation in Key West. An estimated 75,000 people are interred there in parcels reflecting the cultural diversity that continues to characterize Key West, including a historic Catholic section, a Jewish section, the USS Maine Plot dedicated in 1900, and Los Martires de Cuba, a memorial for those who fought in the 1868 Cuban revolution. Beyond these defined areas, African Americans, Cubans and Americans, rich and poor, are interred throughout. Its in-ground and crypt-style graves range from simple concrete copings filled with soil to elaborate monuments, and plot enclosures of wrought iron, wood, or concrete often marked family plots.

Key West, Florida · United States