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Reported phenomena — as catalogued
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One of Florida's oldest firehouses — operating 1907 to 1998 — tied to drug-convicted fire chief Joseph 'Bum' Farto, who vanished on February 16, 1976, and was declared dead in 1986.
1024 Grinnell St, Key West, FL 33040
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free admission; donations appreciated. Open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (last admission 1:30 p.m.).
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor museum in a historic firehouse; generally flat and accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1907 · One of Florida's Oldest Surviving Firehouses · Joseph 'Bum' Farto — Convicted Fire Chief Who Disappeared · Key West Firefighting History
Fire Station No. 3 was built at the corner of Virginia and Grinnell Streets in 1907 with an initial complement of twelve firefighters and two hundred volunteers operating under two companies — the Sunnysouth Engine Company and the Tiger Hose Company. A major hurricane in 1909 destroyed the roof and required reconstruction. The station transitioned from horse-drawn steamers to motorized apparatus between 1914 and 1917 and continued operating through nine decades of Key West history.
Joseph Anthony Farto, born July 3, 1919, grew up in Key West and spent his boyhood around fire stations, earning the nickname 'Bum' by running errands and shining shoes for firefighters. He joined the department in 1942, rising through the ranks to become fire chief in 1964. In 1975 and 1976, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Dade County Organized Crime Bureau conducted a sting operation called Operation Conch. An undercover officer purchased cocaine and marijuana from Farto directly. A jury convicted him in early February 1976 after 30 minutes of deliberation, leaving him facing up to 31 years in prison.
On February 16, 1976, Farto told his wife Esther he needed to attend to business in Miami. He rented a Pontiac LeMans and drove north out of Key West. Weeks later, the car was found abandoned in Miami. Farto was never seen again. He was declared dead in absentia on May 21, 1986, enabling his wife to collect pension and insurance benefits. His disappearance has been the subject of a 2020 podcast series and a 2021 stage play.
The station closed in 1998 after nearly a century of operation. Retired firefighter Alex Vega led the preservation effort to convert the building into a public museum, which now bears his name. The museum hosts an in-house audio ghost tour created by the Sloan Family.
Sources
The firehouse's paranormal reputation draws from its density of human drama: firefighters who died in Key West's historic fires, the decades of round-the-clock occupancy, and the outsized story of its most famous chief. Reports cluster in three areas.
The engine room and men's restroom are associated with a spirit called Frank, who has been described by multiple investigators as a full-bodied apparition. The Messenger Paranormal group, which investigated the firehouse in 2012, captured over 100 photographs containing apparent orbs throughout the building. A small figure in period clothing also appeared in one photograph in a location where no child had been standing.
Near the old stables, a figure described as a young woman in a yellow 19th-century dress has been reported passing through closed doors and pausing at the horse troughs. Some accounts identify her as Elena Hoyos, who died of tuberculosis in 1931 at age 22 and whose home was adjacent to the station — though primary documentation connecting her specifically to this building is limited, and that identification should be understood as local folklore rather than confirmed history.
Bum Farto's ghost is attributed by volunteers to unexplained activity in the administrative areas of the building — most notably an incident where a museum curator's bicycle tire inexplicably exploded while the two were discussing Farto's history. Whether that connection is anything more than coincidence is, as with most ghost stories, a matter of personal interpretation.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Tour one of Florida's oldest operational firehouses, converted to a museum by retired firefighter Alex Vega. Exhibits cover Key West firefighting history from the horse-drawn equipment era through motorized apparatus. An audio ghost tour created by the Sloan Family is available during regular hours, covering the building's documented paranormal accounts including the Bum Farto legend.
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