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Reported phenomena, as catalogued
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Sitting on a working pier that loaded horses for the Spanish-American War and processed turtles and sharks, this resort at Zero Duval Street was built over what multiple sources describe as a former cemetery — and the third floor has not been quiet since.
0 Duval St, Key West, FL 33040
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$$
Luxury resort; room rates vary by season. See website for current pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Modern hotel construction; elevator access available
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1981 · Key West Working Waterfront History · Spanish-American War Departure Point · Turtle and Shark Trade Hub · Zero Duval Street Historic Site
The location at the foot of Duval Street where it meets the harbor has been continuously active waterfront since Key West's early settlement period. In the late 1830s, a pier was constructed at the site, chosen because the tidal patterns created by Sunset Key and Christmas Tree Island offshore produced deep water and a calm eddy suitable for docking ships of significant draft.
Over the following century, the pier served a succession of industries. During the Civil War, the Navy used it for military operations. As steam replaced sail, it became a coal dock for refueling steamships. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, it was a loading point for troops and horses headed for Cuba. The site subsequently handled turtle processing — Key West had an active turtle meat industry at the time — shark processing for livers and fins, and freight for the city's cigar manufacturing trade.
The Ocean Key Resort was constructed on this site in 1981 — a modern building on a historically active waterfront rather than a conversion of an older structure. Noble House Resorts acquired the property in 1998 and undertook a complete rebuild in 2018 following damage from Hurricane Irma, with the new construction standing on cement pylons while preserving elements of the historic pier.
Multiple sources describe the site as having been built over a former cemetery. The specific history of this cemetery — who was buried there, when it was in use, and what documentation exists of its location — has not been independently verified by historical records consulted in this research, though the claim circulates through Key West's paranormal tourism infrastructure and is corroborated by multiple independent accounts.
Sources
The paranormal reports at Ocean Key Resort are concentrated on the third floor, which faces Duval Street and the harbor. Multiple independent guest accounts describe the same pattern: cold spots moving through the hallway, the sound of keys jingling with no visible source, a sighing quality to the ambient sounds, and a persistent feeling of sadness in certain areas of the floor.
More specific reports involve objects moved between a guest's departure and return to their room — curtains drawn differently, bureau displaced, lights switched. One account describes the sensation of something sitting on the occupied bed, with a visible depression in the mattress, though no physical presence was visible.
The attribution in ghost tour accounts links these phenomena to the site's history as a location where a cemetery was disturbed during construction. Key West's geography historically concentrated burials in specific areas, and the resort's waterfront location near Mallory Square placed it in proximity to burial grounds that were shifted as the city developed.
Ocean Key Resort does not market these accounts, and the building itself — constructed in 1981 and rebuilt in 2018 — has no inherent architectural age. The reported activity is interpreted by paranormal researchers as site-attached rather than structure-attached, which aligns with theories about disturbed burial grounds and residual energy in land rather than buildings.
Guests staying on the third floor of the resort, which overlooks Duval Street and the harbor, have reported cold spots, unexplained sounds including jingling keys and sighing, lights and curtains not in the condition they were left, and the sensation of a presence sitting on the bed. The resort does not market these reports, but they are documented across multiple independent guest accounts.
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