East Martello Tower: Key West's Silent Civil War Fort

East Martello Tower stands as a curiosity in Key West's Civil War history: a fort built during the conflict that never saw combat or carried weapons.

The U.S. Army designed the tower in 1836 as part of a coastal defense system. Construction didn't begin until the mid-1860s, after the Civil War started. The tower and its sister structure, West Martello Tower, were built along what is now South Roosevelt Boulevard but remained unarmed throughout the war.

The Key West Art & Historical Society restored East Martello Tower and opened it as a museum in 1950, making it the first museum in the Florida Keys. The National Register of Historic Places added the fort in 1972.

The museum now houses works by Cuban folk artist Mario Sanchez and displays Robert the Doll, a doll that once belonged to artist Robert Eugene Otto and has gained attention for its supposedly haunted reputation.