Mary

In the 19th century, when shipwrecks along the treacherous Florida reef were numerous, fishermen and spongers turned to wrecking as a means of livelihood, and almost every seaworthy vessel at Key West quickly responded to the cry of “Wreck Ashore” to earn a share of the wealth that the golden age of wrecking brought to the island and city. The sloop Mary is a replica of the wrecking and work boat owned by Charles Tift in 1863. Charles was the brother of Asa F. Tift, an early Key West settler whose family came to the island from Connecticut in the 1820s. Asa Tift and his family soon became successful maritime merchants, docking their boats on Tift’s Wharf and building large warehouses, an ice house, an observation tower, and later a coaling station.

Key West, Florida · United States