HEAVY JEFFERSON

Following the Adams-Onis treaty which formalized the sale of Florida by Spain, the Americans judged that the Dry Tortugas could play a strategic role in protecting the waters and territory of Florida from outside attacks. The project of building a naval base was then set in motion but it was first a lighthouse, the Garden Key lighthouse, which was built to orient the ships in this area in 1826. It was not until 20 years later, in 1846, that the construction of Fort Jefferson began. At the time of the Civil War (1861-1865), the fort housed more than 1,700 military prisoners and several hundred civilians. It was at Fort Jefferson that Union deserters were imprisoned. Some civilians, mostly brigands, were also locked up there. In 1865, Samuel Mudd, the most famous prisoner arrived at Fort Jefferson. This doctor was convicted of conspiring in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. On the night of Lincoln's assassination in Washington, D.C., Mudd treated the broken leg of Lincoln's murderer, John Wilkes Booth, who was a Southern sympathizer, and hid him in his guest room. In 1867, a yellow fever epidemic decimated the fort's inmate population and the prison doctor died. Mudd took charge of the infirmary and managed to contain the epidemic. As a thank you, President Johnson pardoned him and Mudd left Fort Jefferson in 1869. By the mid-1870s, the fort was becoming too costly to maintain, particularly due to tropical weather, and was no longer as vital to the U.S. maritime defense strategy. The army eventually left the site. Today, you can tour the fort, see Mudd's old cell, and even view the fort's moat during a snorkeling session. The beaches to the south and east of Fort Jefferson offer a chance to sample the water temperature and see the fish that inhabit them, while enjoying a unique view of the fort and its advance over the turquoise waters. Picnic tables located on the south side allow you to have your meal at the water's edge (no food is sold on site). It is even possible to spend the night by camping in the Dry Tortugas National Park. Either way, you'll always have the image of this red brick bastion that contrasts sublimely with the turquoise water that surrounds it. However, we advise you to book your ticket in advance.