Atsena Otie Key, Historical barrier island near Cedar Key, Florida.
Atsena Otie Key is a barrier island with walking trails through forests of longleaf pines, red bays, and oak trees draped in Spanish moss. The island offers beaches, hiking paths, and a well-preserved cemetery grounds.
The island was home to a lumber mill operated by pencil makers Eberhard Faber from 1868 to 1896. A hurricane destroyed the facility and ended this industrial chapter of the island.
The cemetery holds marble tombstones of early settlers, showing how people lived here in the early 1900s. This quiet burial ground tells the story of this coastal community's past.
The island is accessible only by boat from Cedar Key. Plan time for the boat journey and bring water and sun protection.
Archaeological excavations in 1999 uncovered a human skeleton more than 2000 years old. This discovery confirms that Native Americans lived here in ancient times.
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