• Key West Florida Holiday Ornament, Southernmost Point Buoy, View 1
  • Key West Florida Holiday Ornament, Southernmost Point Buoy, View 2
  • Key West Florida Holiday Ornament, Southernmost Point Buoy, View 3
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Key West Florida Holiday Ornament - Southernmost Point Buoy

Key West Florida Holiday Ornament - Southernmost Point Buoy

$28.00 USD
$28.00 USD
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Southernmost Point Buoy. It is a painted lump of concrete on a street corner, it was never a buoy, and people queue for an hour to stand next to it.

The marker went up in 1983, when the city set a concrete sewer junction on the corner of Whitehead and South streets and painted it to look like a buoy - a solution to the previous problem, which was that tourists kept stealing the sign. Ninety miles to Cuba, and the continental United States runs out right here. Except it does not, quite: the actual southernmost land is on the naval station nearby, off-limits to the public, a detail the island cheerfully ignores.

That may be the most Key West story available. A fake buoy marking an approximate point, built from a sewer fitting because the honest sign kept getting carried off, now one of the most photographed objects in America. Nobody is fooled and nobody minds.

For the one who has the photo, or wants it. It needs no caption, which is exactly the point.

Below are excerpts from our Key West history page. The Key West town logo and the full town story are available through the collection link above.

Printed on a three-inch faceted crystal glass round, white-backed so the bands stay saturated and the weathered texture reads on a lit tree. Bold enough to identify from across a room. The faceted edge catches light from any angle. Arrives boxed - white or gold gift box, your choice at checkout.

3-inch (76 mm) round crystal glass ornament · faceted gem-cut edge · white-backed print for crisp contrast · red ribbon hanger · your choice of white or gold gift box, included · free U.S. shipping.


QUICK FACTS — KEY WEST FL CRYSTAL ORNAMENT — SOUTHERNMOST POINT BUOY

Town: Key West, Florida

Founded: 1822

Known for: Southernmost city in the continental U.S.; Mile Marker 0; the Conch Republic; Hemingway’s house; the wreckers’ boomtown

Art: Southernmost Point Buoy, original Merlin Classics engraving

Blank: 3-inch (76 mm) round clear crystal glass ornament, faceted gem-cut edge

Print: white-backed for contrast; red ribbon hanger

Packaging: white or gold gift box, chosen at checkout

Made to order in the USA



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Wear Local. Feed Local. Stay Classic.

Product FAQs

How does your sizing work?

Every item is made to order, so please check the size chart on this page before you buy. Women's fitted tees run small; size up for a looser fit. Caps are one size with an adjustable strap.

How are items made and when will they arrive?

We make each item to order using premium blanks, embroidery and soft-hand prints. Production takes 2-5 business days (weekends and holidays excluded), then 4-10 days in transit via USPS, UPS or FedEx to U.S. addresses; most orders arrive within 6-15 business days. You'll get a tracking link the moment it ships. Any current shipping offer is shown in the bar at the top of every page and applies automatically at checkout, no code needed.

How do I send a gift?

Enter the recipient's address as the shipping address and your own as the billing address at checkout. Nothing ships with a price; the package includes a plain packing slip. Tracking goes to your email, not theirs. For birthdays and holidays, order two weeks ahead to be safe.

What's the return policy?

Made-to-order items can't be returned or exchanged for size or color, so please use the size chart and photos before ordering. If anything arrives defective, misprinted or damaged, send a photo and your order number within 30 days and we'll replace it or refund you.

How do I care for my item?

Apparel: wash cold, inside out, with like colors; no bleach; tumble dry low or hang dry. Embroidered pieces: iron inside out to protect the stitching. Caps: spot clean. Printed glasses and water bottles: hand wash only, no dishwasher, so the artwork lasts. Mugs and engraved glasses are dishwasher safe. Any item-specific care notes are in the description above.

Who makes this?

Merlin Classics is a small Connecticut brand making original retro designs for the towns people love. Every piece is printed, embroidered or engraved to order in the USA, and the business supports hunger relief in the communities our collections celebrate.

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Our Key West logo carries the Florida alligator above "Florida Territory — Est. 1845," the shared retro emblem of our Florida towns, drawn in worn black-and-white like an old woodcut crate label. The 1845 date marks Florida statehood, and the alligator is the through-line that links Key West to every other Florida town we make. The detail that makes this one Key West is the island itself — the Conch Republic at the end of the Overseas Highway, the Southernmost Point, and Mile Marker 0 where the road, and the country, finally run out.

For a time the island was the end of a railroad. Henry Flagler pushed his Florida East Coast Railway across open water from key to key, and in 1912 "Flagler's Folly" reached Key West — an engineering marvel that linked the island to the mainland for the first time. The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, a Category 5 storm, destroyed the line and took hundreds of lives, many of them World War I veterans working in the Keys. The roadbed was rebuilt for cars, the Overseas Highway opened in 1938, and U.S. 1 now runs the length of the Keys and ends here, at Mile Marker 0.

Why People Visit Key West

Key West rewards travelers who want history, water, and a freewheeling island culture rather than only a beach — the Southernmost Point, the Conch Republic, the literary and presidential houses, and a compact Old Town you can walk end to end. People come for the sunset at Mallory Square and the bars of Duval, for the Hemingway and Truman landmarks and the wrecking-era treasure, and for an easygoing day at Mile Marker 0 where the Overseas Highway, and the country, finally run out of road.

Key West Florida Merlin Classics retro vintage logo featuring the Florida alligator and Florida Territory Est. 1845