Mallory Square

Mallory Square is a waterfront plaza in Key West, identified by its brick-paved surface overlooking the harbor where the Gulf of Mexico meets the island. Established in eighteen twenty-three by Commodore David Porter, it functioned initially as a naval base for a squadron tasked with suppressing piracy in the West Indies. Following that era, the site became a hub for the wrecking industry, where captains auctioned salvaged cargo from ships lost on the treacherous reefs nearby. By the mid-nineteenth century, these salvage operations contributed to making Key West one of the wealthiest cities in the United States per capita.