The Fort East Martello Museum

Posted: 12.03.2024 | Updated: 12.11.2024

The Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida, offers visitors an in-depth look at the history and culture of Key West. A former Army facility, Fort East Martello, has survived wars, hurricanes, and the test of time. However, its survival has also coincided with a number of ghosts who haunt the old fort. The museum’s most famous resident spirit is Robert the Doll, who is known for causing a great deal of mischief despite residing in a glass case. The histories and hauntings of the Fort East Martello Museum make visiting it a one-of-a-kind experience.

Key West is arguably the most haunted island in the United States. Home to writers, artists, and a slew of ghosts, there is always something new to learn about Key West. To get the full story about its history and hauntings, book a tour today with Southernmost Ghosts for your next trip to Key West!

Why Is Fort East Martello Museum Haunted?

Many people died at Fort East Martello when it was constructed during the Civil War, which may be the root cause of many of its hauntings. The museum is also home to the tomb of Elena Milagro de Hoyos, a young woman turned into what some describe as a zombie by a nefarious man known as Count von Cosel. The infamous Robert the Doll has also called Fort East Martello Museum home for decades, and stories of ghostly activity surrounding him have become legendary. 

History of Fort East Martello Museum

In 1862, the US Army began construction on the East and West Martello Towers in Key West. Although Florida had seceded from the Union during the Civil War and many residents of Key West supported the Confederacy, the Union maintained control of the island. It was the Union’s belief that Key West was the prime spot for a military fort should the Confederacy engage in sea attacks. The construction of two major towers was planned, but building was continually delayed due to multiple outbreaks of Yellow Fever. Neither tower was completed before the end of the Civil War in 1865, and both were left unfinished, never being used in battle.

The Fort East Martello sat unused for several years and fell into disrepair before it was purchased by the Key West Historical Society, which reopened as a museum in 1950. The historical society commissioned painstaking renovations on Fort East Martello to restore it to its original 1860s design. In 1972, Fort East Martello was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Fort East Martello Museum is home to several artifacts dating back to the Civil War. Visitors can also learn the history of the sponging, wrecking, and cigar industries in Key West, as well as the island’s importance in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. There is also a permanent art exhibition featuring the work of Stanley Papio, who made intricate metal sculptures that earned him the moniker “Junkyard Rebel.”

The Ghosts of Fort East Martello Museum

There are believed to be as many as 42 individual entities who haunt the Fort East Martello Museum. Many of these spirits are the ghosts of soldiers who appear in military uniforms from different eras. There have also been sightings of strange mists and orbs that appear in photos but are unseen by the naked eye, and people report having intense feelings of being watched by an unseen force while in the museum. Staff regularly notice that objects have moved on their own and the museum’s alarm system will go off for seemingly no reason. 

The Disturbing Story of Carl Tanzler and Elena Milagro de Hoyos

One of the most bizarre stories to come out of Key West is that of Carl Tanzler and Elena Milagro de Hoyos. Carl (also known as Count von Cosel) was a radiology technician at a hospital in Key West where Elena was a patient being treated for tuberculosis. Carl claimed to have been repeatedly visited by a dead ancestor when he was a child who told him he would marry a beautiful woman with dark hair. When 49-year-old Carl saw 16-year-old Elena, he believed she was the woman from his childhood visions. Carl attempted to treat Elena’s tuberculosis, but she died from the disease on October 25, 1931.

Carl paid for Elena’s funeral and a special tomb to be built for her. He would visit her tomb every night and eventually took her body to his home, where he kept it for seven years. Carl believed he could bring Elena back to life and maintained the decomposing body using newspaper and Plaster of Paris. When Karl’s disturbing secret was revealed, he fled the area and escaped criminal charges. Over the years, the story of Carl Tanzler and Elena Milagro de Hoyos was contorted into a love story, which could not have been further from the truth.

Today, Elena Milagro de Hoyos’ tomb is on display at East Martello Museum having been damaged in a storm. Since the arrival of the tomb, there have been several accounts of Carl and Elena’s spirits roaming the museum. 

Robert The Doll

Thousands of visitors flock to the Fort East Martello Museum yearly to see its star resident, Robert the Doll. Robert is a 40-inch-tall doll made by the Steiff Company around 1904. He was given to a young boy named Robert Eugene Otto who lived in Key West. The young boy went by the nickname Gene and gave the doll his first name along with his old sailor suit, which Robert the Doll still wears years today. Gene was known for having an intensely close relationship with Robert. If Gene got in trouble for misbehaving, he would blame Robert. Gene’s parents heard Gene talking to Robert, who would answer in a voice that was not Gene’s.

Robert’s Later Years

Gene kept Robert until his death in 1974. Before that, Gene’s wife asked him to keep Robert in the attic. After that, visitors to Gene’s home would hear footsteps and giggling in the attic. A woman named Myrtle Reuter bought the house and kept Robert until donating him to the Fort East Martello Museum in 1994. Gene had been involved in creating the museum’s art gallery, and Myrtle said she could no longer keep Robert since he would move about her home and cause mischief. 

Museum staff reportedly noticed strange activity surrounding Robert the Doll almost immediately. Cameras and other electronic equipment would stop working around Robert, and he seemed to move inside his glass case. Some even witnessed his facial expression change or saw him with his hands pressed against the glass case. 

Some visitors claim bad luck followed them after visiting Robert. Those who made fun of him or did not ask permission before taking his photo later wrote letters to the doll asking for forgiveness. This has become so common that the museum even displays some letters written to Robert.

Haunted Key West

No one is quite sure what made Robert the Doll haunted, although some sources cite Voodoo as the cause, while others speculate that Robert feeds off of the energy around him. Whatever the reason, his hauntings and all of the others at Fort East Martello Museum make it a prime destination for ghost enthusiasts.

If you want to learn more about the many hauntings and ghost stories that abound in Key West, book a tour with Southernmost Ghosts today! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Florida hauntings.

Sources:

https://wanderthemap.com/2013/10/haunted-museum-key-west-east-martello-museum