Pigeon Key, Historic cay in Florida Keys, United States

Pigeon Key is a small island in the Florida Keys with eight historic buildings situated beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge. The former worker camp now operates as a museum preserving relics and documents from the railway construction era.

The island served as a base for over 400 railway workers between 1908 and 1912 during the Overseas Railroad construction. After the railway was completed, the camp was abandoned but the buildings survived and were eventually preserved.

The former worker settlement shows how people lived and worked during the railway construction period. Walking through the restored buildings gives a sense of daily life in this isolated camp.

The island lies off the old Seven Mile Bridge at mile marker 45, and the bridge's pedestrian exit ramp leads onto it; the bridge itself is closed to vehicles. The site is small and walkable, with the former Assistant Bridge Tender's House serving as a museum. Check the Pigeon Key Foundation's current access arrangements before setting out.

Old Spanish charts label the island Cayo Paloma, and the name is thought to refer to white-crowned pigeons that once roosted there in large flocks. The 1978 television film Hunters of the Reef was largely shot on Pigeon Key, and in 2011 the island hosted the finish line of The Amazing Race 18.