Key West – Ft. Taylor with Civil War Encampment and then Mallory Square

They had tents set up to represent enlisted and officers' quarters

This was the weekend with a Civil War encampment at Ft. Taylor so we went to see the sights. The people there were arrayed in Civil War era dress and they had tents set up to represent various parts of a typical army encampment. However, one tent represented what they call the “Wreckers” who are the ones that salvage boats that run aground on the reefs surrounding Key West. Until the 1930s, Key West had the highest per capita income in the US due to the salvage claims on wrecked ships. We talked at length to one person who represented the wreckers of the past.

He represented the "wrechers"

Tents for field solders, captains, etc. were also set up on display. Ft. Taylor as it turned out was held by the Union all during the Civil War. The saying was that you had to head north to go south! Back then it was an island but now it’s connected to the rest of Key West after the gap was filled in. One person representing the artillery filled us in on how the tactics developed during the Civil War was later used during WWI (trench warfare).

After a brief rest, we were off to Mallory Square to see the sunset and the entertainers. The sun set over yet another island far off in the distance so we once again didn’t see the green flash, oh well. There we dozens of acts going on at the same time and some attracted quite a crowd. It was a real carnival atmosphere.

Still a nice sunset but no green flash!

It is really starting to get crowded here. A walk down Duval Street now encounters sidewalks just packed with people. On Saturday we’re headed for the Dry Tortugas on the fast cat for a day of snorkeling and seeing the fort, should be fun.