Key West Shipwreck Historeum Museum
Encyclopedia
The Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum (formerly Shipwreck Historeum) is located at 1 Whitehead Street, Key West
, Florida
, United States
. It combines actors, films and actual artifacts to tell the story of 400 years of shipwreck salvage in the Florida Keys. The museum itself is a re-creation of a 19th century warehouse built by wrecker tycoon Asa Tift
. Many of the artifacts on display are from the 1985 rediscovery of the wrecked vessel Isaac Allerton
, which sank in 1856 on the Florida Keys reef and turned out to be the richest shipwreck in Key West's history. Also included are relics from Spanish galleons, including a silver bar salvaged from the Nuestra Senora de las Maravillas that guests are encouraged to try to lift.
The museum guide portraying Tift tells the story from his point of view as he explains how this unusual industry provided for the livelihood for the entire island of Key West at a time when it had the largest population in the state.
Guests can climb the 65' lookout tower.
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It combines actors, films and actual artifacts to tell the story of 400 years of shipwreck salvage in the Florida Keys. The museum itself is a re-creation of a 19th century warehouse built by wrecker tycoon Asa Tift
Asa Tift
Asa Tift was the most notable salvager in Key West, Florida in the early 19th century. He owned a large salvaging operation, parts of which can still be seen as the Key West Shipwreck Historeum Museum .He was also responsible for the building of the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West.During the...
. Many of the artifacts on display are from the 1985 rediscovery of the wrecked vessel Isaac Allerton
Isaac Allerton (shipwreck)
The Isaac Allerton was an American ship that sunk east-southeast of the island of Key West in the Florida Keys near the Saddlebunch Keys on August 28, 1856 resulting from a hurricane....
, which sank in 1856 on the Florida Keys reef and turned out to be the richest shipwreck in Key West's history. Also included are relics from Spanish galleons, including a silver bar salvaged from the Nuestra Senora de las Maravillas that guests are encouraged to try to lift.
The museum guide portraying Tift tells the story from his point of view as he explains how this unusual industry provided for the livelihood for the entire island of Key West at a time when it had the largest population in the state.
Guests can climb the 65' lookout tower.