Captain Tony's Saloon

Captain Tony's is said to be the oldest saloon in Florida and it is rumored to be haunted, thanks to the tree that grows through the middle of the chamber. The tree is believed to be where executions took place, 75 people were hanged from it. The apparition of one of them, a woman wearing a bloody blue nightgown, has been seen on the premises. The pool room is believed to be haunted because it is always cooler than anywhere else in the building. Locals say that the building was once an icehouse and morgue in pre-electricity days, and those who didn’t arrive alive at the port of Key West were buried right where the pool room stands today. There are also two tombstones inside the bar. One reads “Elvira, daughter of Joseph and Susannah Edmunds died Dec. 21, 1822 Age: 19 years 8 months and 21 days.” The other is the tombstone of Reba Sawyer, said to have had a longtime affair with a married man. They would meet in secret at the bar, but years after Reba’s death, her husband discovered the details of the secret affair. He was so angry that he took her tombstone from the cemetery and put it on the sidewalk in front of the bar. Captain Tony decided to bring it inside so it could rest in peace. Another haunted spot in the bar is the women's bathroom. A fish is said to bring good luck here. Apparently, if you throw a quarter into the mouth of the huge grouper above the sign outside, and it is said good luck will follow you until you leave the island.