Fort East Martello

This morning I visited Fort East Martello, which is now a museum.  The fort is a citadel surrounded by a ring of outer walls, and is located right next to Key West's airport.  It was built, along with Fort West Martello, during the Civil War.  While Key West stayed under Union control during the war, the island's inhabitants were very pro-Confederacy.  Even so, there were no battles fought on the island.

Before I entered the fort, I took a pic of this anchor, which is in front its entrance.

A short distance away is another anchor and a large chain.

The museum has several exhibits in the outer walls.  On the way to the inner court and the citadel, you'll pass Robert the Doll.  In the inner court is this dollhouse donated by Key West resident Edna Wolkowsky.

Here's the southeast side of the citadel, with a group of visitors on its roof.

The roof and other levels are reached by a metal spiral staircase, which is original to the fort.  Four gun emplacements, of which this is one, are on the roof.  The top of the staircase is on the right.  Part of the airport is in the background.

Each side of the roof area includes a passage such as this one.  I had to bend down to get through it, but it led to a hole where I could stand up and see the surroundings.  The ceiling actually becomes lower as you move into it.

Here's a view of part of the area between the walls and the citadel.

I took a shot of the view to the west, which includes part of the airport parking lot to the right, Pines Park in the middle, and the sea including a kite surfer to the left.

Finally, this cannon, which has fish-like fins, is part of a sculpture garden.

To learn more, besides the links above, go here and here.