Key West Tours – Sightseeing Old Houses in Old Town

Key West Tours – Sightseeing Old Houses in Old Town

If you want to take a walk down history lane, right back to the early settlers in America, take a walking tour of

Key West’s historic Old Town district. This is where the first settlers came. In the early days, it was the Spanish

galleons that came here, because of the large stocks of drinking water – though there were wary of the sharp

coral reefs.

Later it was immigrants from the Bahamas who came seeking their fortune in the shipwrecking and turtle

canning business. The early days were rough and tough. They had to brave the fierce hurricane wind,

mosquitoes and the isolation. With their own die-hard spirit they built their lives and their homes here. Many of

them made vast fortunes in the different business here and this is reflected in the old houses and mansions you

can see as you take a walking tour of Old Town.

Curry Mansion – Caroline Street

William Curry was one of the first millionaires of Key West. His son Milton Curry built the grand Victorian

style mansion that is now the pride of Caroline Street. This grand 22 room mansion is now a homely 3 star inn.

Should you book a room here you will be taken back in time to the 1800, when a poor immigrant named

William Curry landed on the shores of Key West and worked hard to make his fortunes.

As you stroll through the rooms you can see beautiful, old style, furniture made from the now extinct Dade

County pine wood and other hardwood that was so popular because of its beautiful texture and ability to

withstand the test of time, as can be seen even today.

The cook-house at this mansion also has the historic recognition of being the kitchen where the first Key Lime

pie was baked, by a cook named Sally.

Captain George Carey House

This is probably the second oldest house in Key West. It’s a beautiful two-storey wooden house which is also

located on Caroline Street. It has an amazing history.

Drinking water as a scarce and much sought after resource by the ships that sailed past the island. Located on

the island was what was called a pirates well – a source of clean drinking water. Captain George Carey

purchased the well and built his house and a small store nearby. Here he ran a seaport bar. He sold water, and

liquor. Over time he made a fortune.

There’s also an interesting story of how he met his wife. In a shipwreck near the island. There were five

German women on that ship. Captain Carey rescued and married one of them.

After his death a woman named Jesse Porter purchased his house and renovated it. She enjoyed the whole

experience of renovations so much that she set up the Old Island Restoration Foundation – a foundation that

was responsible for rescuing and renovating many of the old houses that you see today, in Old Town. Most of

them are now museums that preserve the history and culture of Key West for posterity.

You can visit many such exciting sights on your Key West tours. All of them capture the rich flavor of this

historic island chain. If you need assistance with any arrangements of your Key West tours, call us.

www.KeyWestTours.com