At Key West, Florida, you'll find a large buoy proclaiming that this is the most southerly point in the continental U.S., and that Cuba is a mere 90 miles away. A plaque nearby memorializes Cubans who died while trying to cross to America in boats. According to Roadside America, there are actually points farther south than the marker, but they are not accessible to vehicles and are on military land.
Southernmost Point Monument
U.S. Highway 1
Key West, FL
roadsideamerica.com/story/11310
Islamorada is a village located along the Florida Keys in Monroe County. On Labor Day 1935, a hurricane hit the community, killing 423 residents and World War I veterans. According to the Keys History Website, the veterans come to Islamorada to work on Fort Jefferson as part of a Depression-era jobs program. Fort Jefferson is now part of Dry Tortugas National Park, located on an island chain 70 miles west of Key West.
In 1937, a large, granite obelisk-like monument was dedicated to the dead, with many of their cremated remains buried within.
1935 Hurricane Memorial
Mile Marker 81.5, US Highway 1
Islamorada, FL 33036
keyshistory.org/hurrmemorial.html
nps.gov/drto/index.htm
You'll discover a monument and a National Engineering Landmark within this historical state park, which is located in Naples, Florida. In the 1920s, land developer and advertising tycoon Barron Collier bought almost one million acres of land, which ultimately became Collier County. The Seminole Wars, in which Native Americans tried to repel European invaders, were fought in this region. Land that was featured in campaign maps for the Third Seminole War is now part of Collier-Seminole State Park. The entire park, in fact, is dedicated to those who fought on both sides of the Seminole Wars.
Inside the park, you'll also find a monument to Collier himself, who set land aside for preservation. The Bay City Walking Dredge, which played a role in building a road across the swampy Everglades, is a National Historic Engineering Landmark in the park.
Collier-Seminole State Park
20200 E. Tamiami Trail
Naples, FL 34114
239-394-3397
floridastateparks.org/history/parkhistory.cfm?parkid=120
Miami Beach boasts an island named for a memorial. Flagler Memorial Island was built in the 1920s as part of the man-made Venetian Islands chain, created to accommodate a growing population and tempt new real estate buyers.
Flagler Memorial Island is home to a 91-foot high memorial to Henry M. Flagler, railroad tycoon and Miami founder. The central obelisk is surrounded by four statues depicting concepts such as prosperity. All had fallen into disrepair but were restored through a bond fund, and the monument is now under the care of ECOMB, the Environmental Coalition of Miami Beach.
Flagler Monument Island
Miami Beach, FL33139
ECOMB: 305-534-3825
miamibeach-usa.com/flagler-memorial-in-miami-beach/
The Holocaust Memorial at Miami Beach was dedicated in 1990. The monument consists of a park and takes you through a ten-stop procession: Examples of stops include a sculpture of a mother and child, a meditation garden as stop three, and a a giant hand reaching to Heaven as stop six. The monument is dedicated to the six million Jews who lost their lives during the World War II Holocaust.
The Holocaust Memorial
1933-1945 Meridian Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-538-1663
holocaustmmb.org
