Built 1847 on the wreckage of its hurricane-destroyed predecessor, this lighthouse saw at least eight deaths in 1846 and double typhoid deaths in the keeper's quarters in 1889.
938 Whitehead St, Key West, FL 33040
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Adults $17 ($15.50 online); seniors/students/military $13 ($11.50 online); youth 7–18 $9 ($7.50 online); children under 7 free. Active military and KWAHS members free.
Access
Limited Access
88-step spiral staircase to reach the lighthouse top; keeper's quarters museum is ground-level
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1847 · Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 · 19th-Century Lighthouse Service · Barbara Mabrity — Female Lighthouse Keeper · Typhoid Deaths in Keeper's Quarters
The original Key West lighthouse was constructed in the 1820s to guide shipping through the hazardous reef system surrounding the Florida Keys. On October 11, 1846, the Great Havana Hurricane struck Key West with catastrophic force, destroying buildings across the island and killing over forty people. Eight local residents who had sought shelter in or near the lighthouse tower were among the dead.
Construction of a replacement lighthouse at 938 Whitehead Street began immediately after the storm. The new 86-foot tower was completed and first lit in 1848. Barbara Mabrity became its keeper following her husband's death, serving at the lighthouse into her eighties — a tenure of more than two decades that ended in 1864 when she was forced to resign at age 82. She died three years later, in 1867.
In 1889, keeper John Carroll contracted typhoid fever and died within days of falling ill. His wife, Mary Armanda Fletcher — the granddaughter of Barbara Mabrity — assumed the keeper's duties following his death. She died of the same illness three months later. Both deaths occurred in the keeper's quarters that now serve as the museum's primary exhibition space.
The lighthouse was upgraded with a Fresnel lens during the 19th century and remained in active service until 1969, when the U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned it. The Key West Art and Historical Society (KWAHS) assumed management of the property and restored both the lighthouse and the keeper's quarters as a public museum. The institution is open daily and manages online ticketing through FareHarbor.
Sources
The 88-step climb draws the most consistent paranormal accounts. Visitors describe a sense of mounting presence as they ascend, cold spots concentrated at specific landings, and the physical sensation of being touched or embraced by something unseen. Some have reported the feeling of a hand on their shoulder or back during the climb.
In the keeper's quarters — the rooms where John Carroll and Mary Armanda Fletcher both died of typhoid in 1889 — an overwhelming sense of presence is described by investigators and casual visitors alike. The apparition of an elderly woman has been reported in these spaces, typically interpreted as Barbara Mabrity, who spent more than two decades at the lighthouse and reportedly did not leave quietly when forced out at age 82.
The 1846 hurricane deaths — eight people who came to the lighthouse for safety and did not survive — also anchor the site's paranormal reputation. Paranormal investigators have connected the cold spots and touches near the tower base to those deaths, though no specific apparitions have been attributed to them by name.
Notable Entities
Climb 88 steps to the lighthouse top for panoramic views of Key West, then tour the restored keeper's quarters, which contain period furnishings and exhibits covering 19th-century lighthouse life, the 1846 hurricane that destroyed the original tower, and the keepers who lived and died here. Open Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; last admission 4:30 p.m.
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