Since the first Spanish galleons began to traverse the Florida Straits in the 16th century, ships have wrecked along the treacherous reefs of Key West and the Florida Keys. Now, you can learn all about the area’s maritime past with a trip to the Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum.

Wrecking and salvaging – the recovery of wrecked ships and their cargo – was the foundation of Key West’s economy during the 1800s. The economic boom it created meant that by the mid-1850s, Key West had become the richest city per capita in all of the United States of America. Learn the history of the region’s shipwrecking past at the Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum, with two floors of genuine recovered artifacts.

See pieces of wrecked Spanish fleets dating back to the 1600s and 1700s, as well as pieces from the Isaac Allerton, wrecked way back in 1856. Guests can even lift a silver bar, which was salvaged from the Spanish treasure galleon Nuestra Senora de las Maravillas.

The museum itself is a recreation of the 19th century wrecker tycoon Asa Tift’s warehouse, and includes a 65-foot look-out tower. At the Historeum, you can also expect storytellers in period costumes and an array of audio visual displays that brings the history of Key West to life.