Duval Street Wreckers Museum

The Duval Street Wreckers Museum is located in the oldest house in South Florida. It was constructed in 1829 and combines examples of the architecture of New England and the Caribbean. The home was originally owned by Captain Francis Watlington who lived there with his wife and nine daughters. It had been constructed by a man named Richard Cussans who came to Key West from Nassau in 1806. Watlington was a Customs Inspector, a harbor pilot, a Lightship Captain and a wrecker. Wreckers were people who rescued the crews of shipwrecks and took the cargo that was aboard the wrecked ship. One of Watlington's daughters, Lily, lived in the home until she died in 1936. Today, the house serves as the Wrecker Museum and is operated by the Old Island Restoration Foundation. It is a non-profit museum that features ship models, furnishings, documents related to the wreckers, maritime artifacts and a variety of items found in the waters around the Keys. There are also old paintings on display, dollhouse furniture from the mid-nineteenth century and a variety of furniture and textiles. The museum and gardens are free to visit and they are open every day except Sunday and Wednesday from 10 am until 4 pm.