Key West

Drove down to Key West with a friend for a few days. Fort Taylor was just being finished as the Civil War broke out. The federal troops for the fort were already in Key West and took occupation of the fort just prior to South Carolina seceding. It played a central role in the blockade of ship movement into and out of the gulf. The fort was built 1/4 mile off southwest corner of Key West and was accessible only by a bridge. Dredging of a deep water shipping channel provided the material to fill in the gap which now makes the fort a part of Key West. The bricks were the original fort while the gray concrete was modifications made during the Spanish American War to beef up the fort against more modern rifled canons. The lighthouse used to be on the beach of the key but is now several blocks inland due to the land fill projects. Drove out to Big Pine Key looking for Key Deer and were lucky to find some. And then walked around seeing the southern most point in the continental US and toured the Little White House used by President Truman.