Key West’s cemetery is filled with the histories of more than 100,000 past residents, more than three times the city’s current population. Fascinating stories and famous last words abound in the 8 hectares (19 acres) of burial sites at the foot of Solares Hill. See striking statues and mausoleums, birds and iguanas. The well-maintained cemetery provides a tranquil escape from the busy town centre and offers great views.
Stop at the entrance to get a booklet. These give a great insight into the history of the cemetery and provide a guide to some of the more notable characters buried here. The cemetery has been the final resting place for locals since 1847, after burial sites at the original Key West cemetery were washed away in a hurricane. The booklet provides a map of key graves and a walking trail through the plots.
Don’t miss the grave of Ernest Hemingway’s friend Sloppy Joe Russell, a local bar keeper who died on a fishing expedition with Hemingway in 1941. Visit the grave of local Betty Pearl Roberts whose final words “I told you I was sick” are engraved on her headstone. See the bronze statue and graves of some of the 260 crew members of the battleship USS Maine. The ship sank on its way from Key West to Havana in 1898, which triggered the Spanish-American War.
Some of the statues on the graves are works of art. Look for the Victorian-era angel atop Gladys’ Bates grave and the art deco Toppino family mausoleum. Local blooms and flowering trees give the cemetery colour. Boulevards lined with purple bougainvillea and gumbo trees lead you to the black archway of the Jewish Cemetery. Graves here date from the 1890s onwards. Mourners still place stones on the graves as a sign of respect.
The Key West Cemetery is at the base of Solares Hill. It can easily be reached by bike or on foot and there is free parking outside. Cemetery entrance is free and open to the public every day.
