Fort Jefferson National Mon, FL

January 15th is a busy day in the Keys with the Key West Seafood Festival in Key West and Art Under the Oaks and Sailboat races in Islamorada.

Now added is the 75 anniversary of Dry Tortugas National Park. The celebration was originally scheduled for November, but was canceled due to inclement weather.

The Dry Tortugas is a cluster of 7 Islands composed of coral reef and sand. The centerpiece is Fort Jefferson which was constructed in the 1800's to guard against invaders.

During the Civil War, the Fort was used as a prison. It was also where the infamous Dr. Mudd, who was wrongly convicted of conspiring to kill Abraham Lincoln was incarcerated.

The Dry Tortugas became an National Park in 1935.

Known for its bird and marine life, many of the programs of the day will be those topics. There will also be talks on cannon preservation and the preservation of the Fort itself. Programs begin at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM running for about an hour at various locations on the 12 acre Island.

The Fort is only accessible by boat or seaplane. For information on tickets, please contact me at 305-394-3400.