Lignumvitae Key
Encyclopedia
Lignumvitae Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys
.
It is located due north of, and less than one mile from the easternmost tip of Lower Matecumbe Key
.
The island has the Keys' highest point above sea level of 19 feet (5.8 m), which beats the island of Key West
's Solares Hill
by 1 foot (0.3048 m). This dark green island is covered in rare tropical hardwoods such as the island's namesake, Holywood Lignum-vitae (Guaiacum sanctum
).
bedrock house they lived in still stands today. On March 2, 1971 Lignum Vitae and nearby Shell Keys were purchased by the State of Florida, and Lignum Vitae became Lignumvitae Key State Botanical Park
.
The key is called Cayo de la Leña (Spanish for "Firewood Key") on an unsigned Spanish chart of 1760.
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
.
It is located due north of, and less than one mile from the easternmost tip of Lower Matecumbe Key
Lower Matecumbe Key
Lower Matecumbe Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys.It is located on U.S. 1 between mile markers 75--78.All of the key is within the Village of Islamorada as of November 4, 1997, when it was incorporated....
.
The island has the Keys' highest point above sea level of 19 feet (5.8 m), which beats the island of Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
's Solares Hill
Solares Hill
Solares Hill is the name of the highest point of land on the island of Key West in the lower Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida.The peak elevation of the hill is above sea level....
by 1 foot (0.3048 m). This dark green island is covered in rare tropical hardwoods such as the island's namesake, Holywood Lignum-vitae (Guaiacum sanctum
Guaiacum sanctum
Guaiacum sanctum, commonly known as Holywood or Holywood Lignum-vitae, is a species of flowering plant in the creosote bush family, Zygophyllaceae. It ranges from southern Florida in the United States and the Bahamas south to Central America and the Greater Antilles...
).
History
Records of the ownership of Lignumvitae Key go back to 1843, including the years of 1919-1953 when the Matheson family of Miami owned the island. The island was purchased by Dr. Edwin C. Lunsford, Sr. and two other investors in 1953. Charlotte and Russell Neidhauk lived on the island and served as caretakers during this period. The coralCoral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
bedrock house they lived in still stands today. On March 2, 1971 Lignum Vitae and nearby Shell Keys were purchased by the State of Florida, and Lignum Vitae became Lignumvitae Key State Botanical Park
Lignumvitae Key State Botanical Park
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park is a Florida State Park located on Lignumvitae Key, one mile west of U.S. 1 at mile marker 78.5, and can only be reached by private boat or tour boat....
.
The key is called Cayo de la Leña (Spanish for "Firewood Key") on an unsigned Spanish chart of 1760.