Higgs Beach African Graves

The Higgs Beach African Graves is a small graveyard located next to the Key West Garden Club and the West Martello Tower. The graveyard was originally the final resting place for approximately 300 slaves. They were brought to the island from West Africa, but within three months of arriving, most of them had died. The conditions were so terrible on the boat ride over, they were sick before they had disembarked. They were buried in this area because this part of the island was unused in 1860. The cemetery is a small memorial to one of the most unpleasant periods in United States history. The location was chosen as the site for one of the two Martello Towers, constructed to protect the island during the Civil War. It can be a bit of a challenge finding the cemetery if you are using a map. It appears on older maps, but in order to locate it today, one must view an old map and a new map, comparing the two until you are able to locate the cemetery based on modern landmarks. There has been some talk of excavating the graves, but due to the sanctity of the area, this is unlikely to ever happen.