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Florida Keys History
2:23 pm
Thu November 8, 2012

Take A Tour Of Pigeon Key

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Credit Arianna Prothero
Riet Steinmetz is working to preserve both the Old Seven Mile Bridge and Pigeon Key.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
Pigeon Key is a small, five acre island that housed up to 400 workers at a time. There was very little to do on Pigeon Key except work. Riet says workers didn't learn until they arrived that alcohol was not allowed.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
After walking 2 miles over the Old Seven Mile Bridge, you take this ramp down onto Pigeon Key. There are 8 historic buildings on the key, one of which you can stay in.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
Riet is walking down the dirt road that the workers call Main Street. Many of the workers came from New York City and named the small alleys on the key after the streets they knew in NYC. There was also a Broadway and 41st Street.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
This is a leaf from a pitch apple tree, also called the signature tree. Riet says people used to plant these trees by their front doors so visitors could etch their name or a message into the leaves.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
This is just one of the buildings that workers lived in.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
Buddy is Pigeon Key's resident cat. No one knows how Buddy got there.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
Originally there were four barracks like this one, each housing 64 men. The floors are made of original Dade County Pine. The building is now used as a classroom for marine science camps.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
On the right is the Old Seven Mile Bridge which is now closed to cars. On the left is the new Seven Mile Bridge.
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Mr. Ducky is Pigeon Key's resident duck. It's also unknown how he got there. If you're wondering, Mr. Ducky and Buddy the cat get along just fine.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
One of the historical buildings on the Key. This one now functions as the museum building.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
Inside the museum are old photos, artifacts and diagrams explaining how the bridge was constructed.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
This is an old photo of the island when it was a work camp.
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Visitors are allowed to stay and vacation in one of the historic houses on Pigeon Key.
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Credit Arianna Prothero
There's even a hammock- definitely a keys style museum.

Earlier this week we brought to you a story about a community organization trying to restore the Old Seven Mile Bridge.

Part of that story touched on Pigeon Key, where the work camp for the men who built the Old Seven Mile Bridge lived 100 years ago.  The entire island is now a museum.

Take a tour of historic Pigeon Key with Riet Steinmetz through these photos above. 

Tags: 
Florida Keys
Monroe
Henry Flagler
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