Editing Key West (section)

===Notable places===
====Old Town====
{{stack|[[File:Key West 2008 (2338775214) b.jpg|thumb|St. Paul's Episcopal Church]]}}
The earliest Key West neighborhoods, on the western part of the island, are broadly known as [[Old Town (Key West)|Old Town]]. The [[Key West Historic District]] includes the major tourist destinations of the island, including [[Mallory Square]], Duval Street, the [[Truman Annex]], and [[Fort Zachary Taylor]]. Old Town is where the classic bungalows and guest mansions are found. [[Bahama Village]], southwest of Whitehead Street, features houses, churches, and sites related to its [[Afro-Bahamian]] history. [[The Meadows (Key West)|The Meadows]], lying northeast of the [[White Street Gallery District]], is exclusively residential.{{fact|date=September 2023}}

Many of the structures in Old Town date from 1886 to 1912. The basic features that distinguish the local architecture include wood-frame construction of one- to two-and-a-half-story structures set on foundation piers about {{convert|3|ft|m|0|spell=on|abbr=off|sp=us}} above the ground. Exterior characteristics of the buildings are peaked metal roofs, horizontal wood siding, [[gingerbread trim]], pastel shades of paint, side-hinged louvered shutters, covered porches (or balconies, galleries, or verandas) along the fronts of the structures, and wood lattice screens covering the area elevated by the piers.{{fact|date=September 2023}}

Some antebellum structures survive, including the Oldest (or Cussans-Watlington) House (1829–1836)<ref>{{Cite web|title = Old Island Restoration Foundation's Key West Oldest House Museum and Garden|url = http://oirf.org/page.php?p=history|access-date = 2016-01-05|archive-date = July 17, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180717013141/http://oirf.org/page.php?p=history|url-status = dead}}</ref> and the John Huling Geiger House (1846–1849), now preserved as the [[Audubon House and Tropical Gardens]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = About the Audubon House – Audubon House & Tropical Gardens|url = http://audubonhouse.com/about-audubon-house/|website = Audubon House & Tropical Gardens|access-date = 2016-01-05|language = en-US|archive-date = January 6, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160106192145/http://audubonhouse.com/about-audubon-house/|url-status = dead}}</ref> Fortifications such as [[Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park|Fort Zachary Taylor]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fort Zachary Taylor |url=http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/history.html |website=Fortzacharytaylor.com |access-date=2016-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212060214/http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/history.html |archive-date=2015-12-12 }}</ref> the East Martello Tower,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Art & Historical Society {{!}} Fort East Martello|url = http://www.kwahs.org/visit/fort-east-martello/|access-date = 2016-01-05}}</ref> and the [[West Martello Tower]],<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tower History|url = http://www.keywestgardenclub.com/Tower_History.html|access-date = 2016-01-05|archive-date = March 11, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180311212554/http://www.keywestgardenclub.com/Tower_History.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> helped ensure that Key West would remain in Union control throughout the Civil War. Another landmark built by the federal government is the [[Key West Lighthouse]], now a museum.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Art & Historical Society {{!}} Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters|url = http://www.kwahs.org/visit/lighthouse-keepers-quarters/|access-date = 2016-01-05}}</ref>

Two of the most notable buildings in [[Old Town (Key West)|Old Town]], occupied by prominent 20th-century residents, are the [[Ernest Hemingway House]], where the writer lived from 1931 to 1939, and the [[Harry S. Truman Little White House]], where the president spent 175 days of his time in office.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Museum History {{!}} Truman Little White House|url = http://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/history-little-white-house-museum.htm|access-date = 2016-01-05}}</ref> Additionally, the residences of some historical Key West families are recognized on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as important landmarks of history and culture, including the [[Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House|Porter House]] on [[Caroline Street (Key West)|Caroline Street]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/73000588 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House |work=Npgallery.nps.gov |author=[[National Park Service]] |date=1973-06-04 |accessdate=2018-06-22 }}</ref> and the [[Eduardo H. Gato House|Gato House]] on Virginia Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/73000586 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for Eduardo H. Gato House |work=Npgallery.nps.gov |author=[[National Park Service]] |date=1973-04-11 |accessdate=2018-06-22 }}</ref>

Several historical residences of the Curry family remain extant, including the Benjamin Curry House, built by the brother of Florida's first millionaire, William Curry,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.keywesthistoricmarkertour.org/marker/449 |title=Marker Details – Key West Historic Markers Project |access-date=2024-03-06}}</ref> as well as the [[Southernmost House]] and the [[Fogarty Mansion (Fogarty House)|Fogarty Mansion]], built by the children of William Curry—his daughter Florida and son Charles, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.keywesthistoricmarkertour.org/marker/38 |title=Marker Details – Key West Historic Markers Project |access-date=2024-03-06}}</ref>

{{stack|[[File:Keywestcemetery.jpg|thumb|[[Key West Cemetery]] near [[Solares Hill]], the highest point of land on the island.]]}}
In addition to architecture, [[Old Town (Key West)|Old Town]] includes the [[Key West Cemetery]], founded in 1847,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.keywesttravelguide.com/key-west-cemetery/ |title=Key West Cemetery |work=Keywesttravelguide.com |author=Key West Travel Guide, LLC |accessdate=2018-03-23 }}</ref> containing above-ground tombs, notable epitaphs, and a plot where some of the dead from the 1898 explosion of {{USS|Maine|ACR-1|6}} are buried.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.keywesttravelguide.com/key-west-cemetery-map-self-guided-tour/ |title=Key West Cemetery Map & Self-Guided Tour |work=Keywesttravelguide.com |author=Key West Travel Guide, LLC |accessdate=2018-03-23 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=US Army Quartermaster |year=1913 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IikSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA511 |title=US Army Quartermaster Report of 1912 |page=511 |publisher=US War Department |access-date=2018-03-23 }}</ref>

====Casa Marina====
The Casa Marina area takes its name from the Casa Marina Hotel, opened in 1921,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Resorts – Waldorf Astoria Casa Marina Hotel – FL|url = http://www.casamarinaresort.com|access-date = 2016-01-05}}</ref> the neighborhood's most conspicuous landmark. The Reynolds Street Pier, Higgs Beach,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Monroe County, FL – Official Website – Higgs Beach|url = http://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/index.aspx?NID=235|access-date = 2016-01-05}}</ref> the [[West Martello Tower]], the White Street Pier, and Rest Beach line the waterfront.{{fact|date=September 2023}}

====Southernmost point in the United States====
{{See also|List of extreme points of the United States}}
One of the most popular attractions on the island is a concrete replica of a [[buoy]] at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets that claims to be the [[Southernmost point buoy|southernmost point]] in the [[contiguous United States]]. The point was originally marked with a basic sign. The city of Key West erected the current monument in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vacasa.com/usa/Florida/Key-West/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202160106/http://www.vacationrentalskeywest.com/keywesthistory.htm|url-status=dead|title=Key West Vacation Rentals, House Rentals {{pipe}} Professionally Cleaned|archivedate=December 2, 2008}}</ref> The monument was repainted after damage by [[Hurricane Irma]] in 2017, and is the most often photographed tourist site in the Florida Keys.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wlrn.org/post/southernmost-point-buoy-key-west-shines-again|title=Southernmost Point Buoy In Key West Shines Again|last=O'Brien|first=Bridget|access-date=2018-12-02|language=en}}</ref>

{{stack|[[File:Southernmost point buoy, NE view.jpg|alt=|thumb|Southernmost point monument in Key West]]}}
Although the monument is labeled "Southernmost point continental U.S.A.", the actual southernmost point of Key West is Whitehead Spit, which is on the [[Truman Annex]] property just west of the buoy. The spit has no marker since it is on [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] land that cannot be entered by civilian tourists. The private property directly to the east of the buoy, and the beach areas of Truman Annex and [[Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park]], also lie farther south than the buoy. The southernmost point of the contiguous United States is [[Ballast Key]], a privately owned island just south and west of Key West. The southernmost location that the public can visit is the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor park.

The monument states "90 Miles to [[Cuba]]", although Key West and Cuba are actually about {{convert|95|smi|km nmi|abbr=off|sp=us}} apart at their closest points.<ref name=AcmeMapper/><ref name=NHS/> Note that the distance from the monument to [[Havana]] is, however, about {{convert|90|nmi|smi km|0|sp=us|abbr=off}}.<ref name=AcmeMapper/>

====Key West Library====
The first public library was officially established in 1853, which was housed in the then-Masonic Temple on Simonston Street, near where the federal courthouse is today. At the time, the first library president was James Lock, with the librarian being William Delaney. At the time, the library collected held 1,200 volumes for residents to access.{{fact|date=September 2023}}

In 1919, a hurricane destroyed the library. Key West residents moved the library to various locations across the island. The county took over and finally found a permanent location. The library's new location was found in 1959. It was built on Fleming Street, where it is still found today.{{fact|date=September 2023}}

====="Spoonbill"=====
In 1961, the Monroe County Library System sponsored a bookmobile, "Spoonbill", to service the entire Keys.<ref name="LitRolls">{{Cite web|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/115932306|title = Literature Rolls into Florida Keys| id={{ProQuest|115932306}} }}</ref> By 1962, "Spoonbill" was making stops in ten different Keys, over {{convert|100|mi|spell=in}}, from Key Largo in the North to Key West in the South.<ref name="LitRolls"/> Mrs. Barbara Banning was the driver-librarian, driving over {{convert|25000|mi}} in the first year and a half, circulating more than 28,000 titles.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

On Mondays, the "Spoonbill" would be loaded with books in Key West and Banning and her assistant, or volunteer, would drive up to Key Largo, Tavernier, and Islamorada, stopping for an hour in each location; Wednesdays the "Spoonbill" made stops in Marathon, Big Pine, Little Torch, and Summerland.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

On Thursdays, the "Spoonbill" would only travel {{convert|20|mi|spell=in}} from home base, making stops in Bay Point, Big Coppitt, and Gulf Rest. At Bay Point there was a popular children's story hour, servicing roughly three hundred school-age children and led by former kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Ernest Hense.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

=====Collection=====
The [[Key West Library]] has a collection of 70,000 items, including a letter from singer-songwriter [[Jimmy Buffett]]. Dated from October 22, 1984, the letter expresses gratitude for the library in giving inspiration for the songs he would eventually write, and for the [[air conditioning]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=O'Hara|first=Timothy|title=Key West Library All Set to Turn 60|work=Key West Citizen}}</ref> As of 2022, the Key West Library is a part of the [[Monroe County Public Library (Florida Keys)|Monroe County Public Library System]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys |url=https://keyslibraries.org/about/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403052204/https://keyslibraries.org/about/ |archive-date=3 April 2023}}</ref>