Nineteen fenced acres in the middle of Old Town, with more people in it than have ever lived on the island at one time. It is free, it opens at seven, and there is a map.
Start at the gate
“A free comprehensive self-guided tour map is available at the cemetery’s front entrance.”
That is the whole practical advice for visiting. Do not book a tour before checking whether the free map does what you need — for most people it does.
| Hours | 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. is safe year-round; see below |
| Address | 701 Passover Lane, Key West, FL 33040 |
| Main entrance | Intersection of Angela and Margaret Streets |
| Sexton’s office | 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday |
| Phone | 305-809-3986 (Rosa Diaz, Sexton) |
The city gives two addresses on one page — Passover Lane in the address block, Angela and Margaret as the entrance. They are the same place; go to Angela and Margaret.
Appointments with the Sexton are recommended, and guided tours are arranged through the Sexton’s office; it also takes after-hours appointments on the same number.
The gate hours come in three versions, all from the city. Its cemetery page says “7 AM to Sunset, Daily.” Its facility listing gives 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day in the hours box, and further down the same listing, “Summer Hours 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM · Winter Hours 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.” Be out by 6 p.m. and you are inside all of them.
Why it is here, which explains the whole island
“The City Cemetery was established in 1847 on ‘high ground, 16 feet above sea level’ in Key West following the disastrous hurricane of October 11, 1846, where the then beach-side cemetery was unearthed due to the winds and seas.”
The 1846 hurricane unearthed the old cemetery. The city moved it to the highest ground on a very low island.
The same storm destroyed the original lighthouse at Whitehead Point, which is why the lighthouse you can climb today is inland. One hurricane, two of the island’s landmarks in their current positions.
Sixteen feet above sea level is what counts as high ground here.
How many people are in it
The city says two different things on a single page.
Its body text:
“This continues to be an active cemetery with about 100 interments a year. Within the fenced 19 acres of the property lies between 80,000 to 100,000 people.”
Its FAQ, further down the same page:
“How many people are buried in the Key West Cemetery? / It is estimated 70,000 people are buried here.”
Seventy thousand or a hundred thousand; the city publishes both, and either way the striking part holds: the living population of Key West is around 25,000. Whichever figure you take, there are roughly three times as many people in those nineteen acres as there are on the island.
Why the vaults are above ground
“Why are people buried above ground? / Because of limited space, we can have two vaults underground and three above ground in any 4’ x 8’ space.”
Not a tradition, not a water-table story. Arithmetic on a small island.
Why some graves look neglected
The city addresses this directly, and it is worth reading before you form an opinion while walking around:
“The graves are private property owned by families. The family is responsible for maintaining the graves. Many families take great pride in maintaining their plots. Other families have left town or sadly died out.”
A derelict plot is not municipal neglect. It is a family that ended.
Who is buried together
The city’s own list, and the actual reason to walk through:
“Bahamian mariners / Catholics / Cuban cigar makers / Millionaires and paupers / People of all races / Protestants and Jews / Spanish-American War veterans / Soldiers and Civilians”
There are distinct sections within it:
“Several years later, the City added 233 lots, and in 1868, a separate Catholic Cemetery was created along Francis Street. The Jewish Cemetery was added in the southeast portion of the property.”
Bahamian mariners, Cuban cigar makers, Spanish-American War dead and the island’s Jewish and Catholic communities, in nineteen acres. That is Key West’s whole nineteenth century laid out in one walk.
The famous headstone
You have probably read about a particular headstone here. It is the most-searched thing about this cemetery. If it is why you are going, pick up the free self-guided map at the front entrance, or book a guided tour through the Sexton’s office on 305-809-3986 — nineteen acres of vaults is a lot of ground to search.
It is still working
“In this an active Cemetery? / Yes. We have an estimate of 100 interments every year.”
“Are there burial lots for sale? / Yes. There are above-ground vaults and cremation niches available.”
Which is the thing to hold in mind while you walk. Roughly two burials a week happen here. It is a public space, a genuinely interesting one, and somebody’s grandmother was buried in it on Tuesday.
Go early — it opens at 7 a.m., before the heat — take the free map, and walk quietly. Be out by 6 p.m. It is a ten-minute walk from Duval and one of the few places in Old Town that is never crowded.
