Hurricane Monument

The Hurricane Monument is located in Islamorada Florida Keys, Florida, on the very spot where a post office was destroyed by Hurricane Islamorada in 1935. Officially called the Florida Keys Memorial, the monument was built in 1937 to honor those who died during what became known as the 'Great Hurricane'.

According to the history described on the monument, Hurricane Islamorada clocked in winds averaging about two hundred miles per hour. Many buildings, even the eastern, coastal section of Florida's railway were completely destroyed. In fact, amongst the dead, 100s of veterans from World War I were camped nearby, many of whom were killed by the storm. Though hundreds lost their lives, 300 were cremated human remains are entombed within the monument's crypt, the tiled structure on which the monument stands.

Made from the famed Keys' limestone rock, better known as keystone, the monument is adorned with a frieze, depicting the forceful water surge and winds of the day with bowed palm trees. Now an official historical monument, the Hurricane Monument hosts and annual memorial service for victim descendents, survivors of the hurricane and military veterans. It is a sobering reminder of how fragile life and living in the Florida Keys really are.