Upper Keys History and Discovery Center.
Visit hidden gems of the Florida Keys.
Circa 1835 Indian Key was a thriving wrecking community of more than 100 residents and the personal fiefdom of perhaps the most notorious wrecker to ever ply his trade along the Florida Reef—John Jacob Housman.
The island was home to docks, warehouses, restaurant, saloon, and hotel offering billiards and a nine-pin bowling alley.
Kentucky State Senator William Thompson Martin is remembered as his first client.
Preston poled his skiff over the seagrass flats so the 83-year-old senator could cast his line at bonefish, sunup to sundown, for $3 a day.
Another gem tucked away along the island chain is the Keys History & Discovery Center, a museum dedicated to showcasing the amazing history associated with not just the Florida Keys, but the Upper Keys in particular.
Also tucked away on the second floor is the crown jewel of the Discovery Center, a state-of-the-art 35-seat movie theater.
Located on the grounds of the Islander Resort, a Guy Harvey Outpost (MM 82), the Keys History & Discovery Center is developing into a must-see stop for visitors to the Florida Keys.
For more information: The Keys History and Discovery Center Open Thursday-Sunday 10am-5pm 82100 Overseas Highway www.keysdiscovery.com No related items found.
The seemingly non-descript 11-acre Indian Key is one of the great hidden gems of the Florida Keys. Located in the Atlantic shallows approximately one mile east of Islamorada’s Lower Matecumbe Key, the island chain’s only ghost town was once home to the largest community in the Florida Keys—outside of Key West.
Circa 1835 Indian Key was a thriving wrecking community of more than 100 residents and the personal fiefdom of perhaps the most notorious wrecker to ever ply his trade along the Florida Reef—John Jacob Housman. The island was home to docks, warehouses, restaurant, saloon, and hotel offering billiards and a nine-pin bowling alley.
One of the archipelago’s earliest fishing guides, Preston Pinder
One of the archipelago’s earliest fishing guides, Preston Pinder, was born on Indian Key in 1875. Kentucky State Senator William Thompson Martin is remembered as his first client. Martin had served as a major in command of the Jeff Davis Legion of Mississippi during the Civil…
