Entrance to the Fort East Martello Museum Key West, a city filled with everything you can imagine; beautiful beaches, nightlife, and historic sites. Entrance to the Fort East Martello Museum Key West, a city filled with everything you can imagine; beautiful beaches, nightlife, and historic sites. While Key West remained a Union-controlled island during the Civil War, the majority of Key West citizens supported the Confederacy. The site is now known as the Fort East Martello Museum & Gardens, and features exhibits of local history and art. West's most … With its four culturally distinct museums – Key West Museum of Art & History, the Key West Lighthouse & Keeper’s Quarters, Fort East Martello … Your membership and donation supports the Society’s collection, ©2016 The Key West Art & Historical Society |, Annual Tennessee Williams Birthday Celebration, Sand in His Shoes: The Life and Art of Stephen Avila, Enrich [en • RICH] New Acquisitions at the Key West Art & Historical Society, Overseas to the Keys – Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railway, Tennessee Williams – The Playwright and the Painter, Depicting Hemingway – Guy Harvey Sketches ‘The Old Man and the Sea’, Assignment Key West 1938: Arthur Rothstein Photographs, In Focus – Images from Permanent Collection, Tennessee Williams Birthday Celebration Events. The mission of The Key West Art & Historical Society is to preserve the culture of the Florida Keys through exhibiting and displaying regional art, architecture and history for the purpose of educating the … Today, the Fort is home to the East Martello Museum, a great place for visitors to learn about the history of the Island. See the folk art of the Florida Keys and see the island's infamous spooky resident - … Climb Key West's historic Lighthouse and visit the island's Civil War era Fort East Martello. In a past life, the East Martello Museum was a military fort, but today it is home to a rather odd museum with bizarre and even some haunted exhibits and residents. Introduction of rifled cannon barrel, however, made the brick and mortar building obsolete before it was completed and it never was armed. During your experience we will introduce you to the ghosts of Native Americans, Civil War Soldiers, artists, slaves, and the world’s most haunted doll. The city wanted to be able to defend itself against any possibilities of a Confederate sea attack. The Robert the Doll Experience is destination-based at Fort East Martello, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd., with tours nightly starting at 8 p.m. Ninety percent of the experience takes place in the fort’s air-conditioned sections. This Key West museum is also referred to as Fort Taylor #2 or Fort East Martello Tower Museum and Gardens. Fort East Martello Museum Address: 3501 South Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West,FL 33040, United States Fort East Martello Museum Contact Number: +1-3052963913 Fort East Martello Museum … The doll originally belonged to Robert Eugene Otto, an artist described as "eccentric" who belonged to a prominent Key West family. When John Simonton purchased the island of Key West in 1822, many people believed that Key West would be the "Gibraltar of America", protecting America's shipping lanes and coasts from foreign danger because of its strategic location. Plans drawn up by Col. Joseph Gilmore Totten, US Army and Col. Simon Bernard, a French military engineer, for a set of nine forts. Find the 10Best nearby: things to do This old fortress was built to resemble an old Italian Martello-style coastal watchtower (hence the name), a design that quickly became obsolete with the advent of the explosive shell. The doll's sailor suit was likely an outfit that Otto … Large Martello towers: A. Murney Tower B. Shoal Tower C. Fort Frederick D. Cathcart Tower. The doll took Robert as his name, while the boy simply went by ‘Gene’. It's owned & operated by David Sloan, a longtime local who fiercely loves this town, its history - and its ghosts. This is a walkthrough of the Fort East Martello in Key West, FL. Created by Robert the Doll biographer, David L. Sloan, The Robert the Doll Experience blends history, mystery, and paranormal exploration. Outbreaks of yellow fever … This interesting … Officials at the Fort East Martello Museum, where Robert resides today, deduced that the doll was actually never intended to be a doll in the first place. Fort East Martello is a civil war fort and tower. It was taken on my GoPro 3 mounted on my wrist so I apologize in advance if some areas are shaky or quick. Martello Towers, or 'Martellos', were small defensive forts first built in the South East of England during the Napoleonic War between 1805 and 1808. The East Martello will also receive drainage upgrades, road and parking repairs, and new roofing. Metal sculpture works by … The Key West Art & Historical Society maintains the culture of the Florida Keys through exhibits and education programs. Within a year, the citadel at West Martello was completed while East Martello’s masonry and concrete gun platforms were set. Named one of America’s top 5 haunted destinations by USA Today. Note the overlapping fields of fire and the close proximity of the towers. Construction designs for both East and West Martellos were identical. It includes collections of relics from the Civil War, displays detailing Key West's past, and artifacts like Robert the Doll. KEY WEST MUSEUM OF ART & HISTORY AT THE CUSTOM HOUSE. Robert’s origins were traced back to the Steiff Company, the same toy company that designed the very first teddy bear, where a company historian told the museum that the doll was most likely meant to be a part of a window display. 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