Question: Where in Florida can you grab a drink at the state’s oldest bar that was once a morgue?
Answer: Captain Tony’s Saloon in Key West
The building saw time as a morgue, a bordello, a telegraph office, a speakeasy, and a cigar factory. During refurbishment in the 1980s, workers discovered the bones of 15 to 18 people beneath the floorboards.
Visitors will also notice a large tree inside the bar—the gallows tree—which was once used for executions. At least 75 people, including pirates, were hanged from it, and the building was later constructed around the tree. Despite the history, the tree remains alive, with part of it extending through the roof. Though Hurricane Irma damaged its top, about six inches of the tree still peek above the building and continue to sprout twigs and leaves inside the dimly lit bar.
