About The Museum

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"Excellent glimpse into the past. . ."
"A lovely gracious tour. . ."
"The tour guide was great and made you feel welcome. . ."
"It has the feeling of a well-loved home with an eclectic history. . ."
Visitors to the Key West Heritage House Museum & Robert Frost Cottage enjoy the authenticity of a comfortable Key West home and the history that it holds. The museum represents 200 years of Key West culture through the fascinating lives of the Porters, a notable Key West family who have lived on the island for seven generations. 
The Caribbean Colonial house, built in the 1830s, was last occupied by Jessie Porter, a fifth-generation "conch," the island's grand dame of hospitality and an avid preservationist. Original furnishings and unusual seafaring artifacts are among the treasures to be seen in this informative tour. 
The family's literary connections, especially to the poet Robert Frost who spent many winters in a cottage in the garden, add a 20th century dimension to the earlier history of pirates, wreckers and hardships endured by Key West's early residents. Visitors can sit in the same flowering tropical garden -- where writers and artists continue to meet -- and listen to recordings of Frost reading his poetry. 

Experience the Key West hospitality extended to  Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, Gloria Swanson, Sally Rand and their contemporaries when they were guests of the gracious and tenacious Miss Jessie. Hear the extraordinary history of a family's contribution to the triumphs over tropical diseases and the crippling economics of the Great Depression.  The Heritage House Museum/Robert Frost Cottage, where Key West's glorious past comes alive!  

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