Indian Key State Historic Site, State historic site in Monroe County, United States.
Indian Key State Historic Site is a small island featuring the remains of a 19th-century settlement built by people who worked with shipwrecks. Scattered limestone foundations and walls are what remain of houses, warehouses, and work structures that once filled the island.
The island was briefly an administrative center for the region in the mid-1800s. A raid by Seminole fighters in 1840 destroyed much of the settlement and ended its occupation.
The site reveals how people made their living by salvaging cargo from shipwrecks, an activity that shaped daily life in the early Keys. The scattered building foundations show where these salvage operations were organized and stored.
You reach the island by boat or kayak from nearby Islamorada, where guided tours help you understand the ruins. Wear comfortable shoes since the ground is uneven and thick vegetation covers the old pathways.
Hidden beneath thick vegetation are the remains of a large warehouse that once stored goods salvaged from ships. These concealed ruins reveal how industrially organized this early economy actually was.
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