Indian Key Historic State Park

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, this 11-acre island is deserted except for the ruins of a town that existed in the early 1800s, when folks made their living salvaging boats that ran aground on local reefs.

In 1829 the island's population was around 50 people, mostly transient fishermen, turtlers and wreckers. Jacob Housman of Key West bought Indian Key in 1831 and set out to build his own wrecking empire to compete with the monopoly in Key West. At this time, wrecking or salvaging cargo from shipwrecks was both legal and extremely lucrative. Housman's empire included a store, hotel, dwellings, cisterns, warehouses and wharves. Known for his shady business practices, he constantly feuded with other salvagers. In 1836, in an effort to become independent from Key West, Housman had the Legislative Council establish Indian Key as the first county seat for Dade County.

Unfortunately, Housman's fortunes began to decline and he lost numerous court battles and finally his wrecker's license. Early in the morning of August 7, 1840, Indian Key was attacked by a large party of Indians. Chief Chekika and his group of warriors landed on the west coast of the Key and were shortly discovered. Most of the 50 to 70 people living on the island were able to escape, but 13 were killed. Except for one building, all the structures on Indian Key were destroyed. Housman managed to escape, however his wrecking empire was gone.

The island continued to be used sparsely throughout the next decades by the US Navy, and new owners who built a store and dwellings which were used in 1856 by military garrisons during the Third Seminole War. In the 1870s three 10+ ton schooners were constructed and launched from the island. Indian Key served as a depot to store and pre-assemble the Alligator Reef Lighthouse from late 1870 to 1873. Henry Flagler used Indian Key to support his dredging operations during the early construction of the Indian Key Fill causeway. After the historic hurricane of 1935, the island ceased being used or inhabited. In 1971, the State of Florida bought the Key and designated it a historic site.

The Florida straits were a heavily used shipping channel during the 19th century. Many ships ran aground on the shallow reef system that dots the coastline. Wreckers would keep a watchful eye on the reef line looking for ships in distress. It was the wrecker’s job to rescue the crew and salvage the ship and its cargo.

The community of wreckers living on Indian Key in 1830s were ready at a moment’s notice to salvage the wrecked ships on nearby reefs. The three-story warehouse topped with a cupola served as a good lookout point to spot grounded vessels on the reef line. The first wrecker to reach the grounded ship would be named the wreck master and would direct the salvaging operations. To lift a grounded ship, the ship’s cargo would be off loaded. The salvaged cargo was stored at the Indian Key warehouse until it could be taken to Key West, the closest U.S. port of entry. A federal court would then decide how much the wrecker would be paid for their services (usually around 25% of the cargo’s value).

The wrecking community of Jacob Houseman came to an end on Aug. 7, 1840, when Native Americans attacked the island and burned most of the buildings to the ground. Thirteen residents were killed in the attack including noted botanist Henry Perrine. After the Indian Key Massacre, as it was later called, Indian Key was used by the Florida squadron of the U.S. Navy who built a hospital on the island. Later the island was used as a staging area to build several sailing vessels as well as in the construction of Carysfort Lighthouse and Alligator Reef Lighthouse.

Today, visitors can explore the island through a series of walking paths that re-create the streets of Houseman’s community.