You know that spot in front of the Custom House? The one you probably breeze past while trying to decide if it’s too early for a mojito? (Spoiler: It’s never too early in Key West). You’ve got the Mel Fisher Museum to your left, the Custom House looming in front of you, and this little nondescript square right in the middle.
Most people think it’s just a decorative park or maybe a designated spot to eat your Key Lime pie without dropping crumbs on your flip-flops. But that unassuming patch of grass? That’s Clinton Square. And it’s hiding one of the most unique—and complicated—Civil War stories in the entire country.
It’s not just a slab of concrete with a fancy name. It’s a physical representation of how messy, layered, and deeply human history can be. So, grab a drink (coffee or cocktail, I don’t judge), and let’s talk about the square that manages to honor two opposing sides of a war in the exact same space.
A city divided (sort of)
Let’s set the scene. It’s 1861. Florida politicians in Tallahassee are scratching their heads, trying to decide which side of the Civil War to join. Eventually, they lean toward secession because, well, it was 1861 and that’s what the South was doing.
But Key West? Key West has always danced to its own beat.
The Union wasn’t about to let this strategic island slip away. They already had soldiers stationed here, and they were quickly ordered to take control of the forts and military installations. Just like that, Key West became the only Southern city occupied by the Union for the entire duration of the Civil War.
Imagine the dinner table conversations. You had neighbors living side-by-side with totally different loyalties. Some sea captains packed up and left to join the Confederate Navy. Some residents with Bahamian ties just went back to the Bahamas to wait it out. But mostly? People just lived together in a weird, tense, humid coexistence. It wasn’t a battlefield, but everyone knew exactly where everyone else stood.
The Union Monument
After the war ended, the Navy Club of Key West decided they needed a way to honor the men they lost. So, they erected an obelisk right in the center of what we now call Clinton Square.
This monument wasn’t necessarily for soldiers who died in a blaze of glory on the battlefield. It was dedicated to the Union officers, sailors, and soldiers who died while serving at the Key West Station between 1861 and 1865.
Back then, you were more likely to be taken out by Yellow Fever or a training accident than a cannonball. But a loss is a loss, and this monument stands as a somber reminder of duty and sacrifice from the Union perspective. It’s classic, it’s stoic, and it tells a very specific side of the story.
Check out more of the Historic Markers – Here
The fence that changed everything
Here’s where it gets interesting—and very Key West.
Enter Dr. J. Vining Harris. He was a Confederate doctor, a strong Southern sympathizer, and, fun fact, the father of the guy who built the Southernmost House. Clearly, the Harris family liked making statements.
Dr. Harris wasn’t about to let the Union have the only say in Clinton Square. But instead of building a rival monument across the street or starting a protest, he did something kind of genius (and petty?). He installed a metal fence around the Union obelisk.
Why does a fence matter? Because this wasn’t just for decoration. Harris installed it specifically to honor the Confederate dead.
So now, you have a Union monument sitting smack in the middle of a Confederate fence.
A unique shared space
This is the part that blows my mind. To my knowledge—and I’ve walked a lot of battlefields—this is the only place in the United States where a Union memorial and a Confederate memorial share the exact same physical space.
Usually, they’re in the same park, maybe across a field from each other. But here? They are literally one structure. The fence wraps around the monument, binding them together forever.
It’s such a perfect metaphor for Key West during the war. It wasn’t about one side conquering the other and wiping them out. It was about occupation, division, and ultimately, coexistence. It represents the complexity of a city that was geographically Southern, politically Union-occupied, and socially a mix of everything in between.
It’s not about who won or who lost. It’s about who was lost.
Why you should stop walking past it
Next time you’re wandering near the Custom House, resist the urge to power-walk toward the sunset celebration. Slow down.
Clinton Square isn’t huge. It doesn’t have flashing lights. But it tells a story you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a reminder that history isn’t always black and white—sometimes it’s a Union obelisk wrapped in a Confederate fence on a tiny island that refused to be just one thing.
Key West is full of these little markers—over 120 of them, actually! They honor homes, people, and weird little moments in time that shaped this island into the quirky paradise we love today. So take a beat, read the plaque, and appreciate the layers.
Then go get that mojito. You’ve earned it.
