Triangle of History Sites - Florida Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Indian Key Historic State Park
Native Americans began occupying Indian Key by approximately A.D. 1000. It was visited by the Spanish during the 17th century, and a trading post had been established on the island by the 19th century.
The island was acquired by Jacob Housman in 1831 and became a center for the wrecking industry. In its heyday, during the 1830's, Indian Key had houses, wharves, warehouses, a hotel, bowling alley, and post office. It was the temporary home of noted botanist Henry Perrine and was visited by naturalist J.J. Audubon.
The island was attacked and burned by "Spanish speaking Indians" on August 7, 1840. The attack, and the events surrounding it formed a major episode in the Second Seminole War.

Tea Table Key
Like nearby Upper and Lower Matecumbe and Indian Key, Tea Table Key was occupied by native Americans during prehistoric times. The early inhabitants settled here to take advantage of the abundance of maritime resources available in the area.
By 1840, the U.S. Navy had begun to use Tea Table Key as an operations center and hospital site. At the time of the attack on Indian Key, most of the naval contingent was away on patrol. An unsuccessful attempt was made to repel the Indians, by launching two barges, mounted with swivel guns, from Tea Table Key. The Indians fired at the barges using a six-pound cannon previously mounted on Indian Key by Jacob Houseman.
This is the only recorded instance of artillery being used by Indians against U.S troops during any of the Indian Wars.

Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park
Lignumvitae Key has one of the finest virgin tropical forests remaining in the Florida Keys. The forest is composed of nearly four dozen species of trees including: mastic, gumbo limbo, strangler fig, poisonwood, pigeon plum, mahogany, and lignumvitae.
Lignumvitae Key was a part of an ancient coral reef tract exposed during the Wisconsin glacial interval. It contains 280 acres and has an elevation of 16 1/2 feet.
In 1919, William J. Matheson established a residence on the Key. A windmill supplied electricity and cisterns collected rain water for drinking. Today, visitors can see the house and grounds unchanged from an earlier time.

San Pedro Underwater Archaeological Preserve
The Vessel, San Pedro, was part of the Spanish convoy system of the 1700s. These ships carried gold, silver and other goods from the new world back to Spain. After leaving Cuba on July 13, 1733, a hurricane forced the fleet towards the Keys where San Pedro went aground and broke apart. Today, the throughly salvaged site lies a short distance south of Indian Key. Designated as a State Preserve in 1989, San Pedro is a living museum in the sea.

Marker Number: 0 Date: None County: Monroe Marker Type: Plaque Sponsored or placed by: State of Florida Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/05/2016 petendot visited it 11/14/2014 BoomersOTR visited it 06/12/2014 Markerman62 visited it

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