Fort Zachary Taylor

Fort Zachary Taylor

In this episode, we head to the southern edge of Key West to explore one of the island’s most historic—and haunted—sites: Fort Zachary Taylor. Built in 1845 and completed after the Civil War, this massive brick fortress played a key role in coastal defense, from the Civil War through the Spanish-American War. It boasted cutting-edge tech for its time—desalination systems, tide-flushed toilets, and over 140 cannons—but its construction came at a heavy cost, built largely by enslaved laborers under brutal conditions.

Today, Fort Zach is a scenic state park, perfect for beach days, weddings, and nature walks—but when the sun sets, its past refuses to stay buried. Visitors and rangers have reported ghostly soldiers marching silently during storms, phantom screams at the site of old gallows, and chilling cold spots where executions once took place. And then there’s the spirit of Lieutenant McClure, a Union soldier said to haunt the old jail cells, still pleading for water after dying of yellow fever.

It’s a place where history and haunting walk side by side. Come with us as we uncover the ghostly echoes of Fort Zachary Taylor.

Do you have a spooky story that you’d like included in the You Two Scare Me Podcast?  Check out our website at: www.youtwoscaremepodcast.com and go fill out the “Somebody Told Me…” form. Or you can email us a [e-mail]. We might include your tale in an upcoming episode!

The You Two Scare Me Podcast is hosted by Andi Zyvith and Feliz Andrews

Original Music by Stefan Tatka

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