Park #133 -Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park

This interesting park is just north of Islamorada in the middle keys. It preserves the old limestone fossil quarry that was used to build Flagler’s Overseas Railroad. Once the railroad was complete, the quarry’s “key stones” were used for many decorative building projects.

There are trails that wind around the property. Some sections from the earlier years have been reclaimed by nature with trees sprouting up through the stone walls. Some machinery is also still here, reminders of how things were done in the old days!

In the visitors center are some displays about the quarry and construction of the railway. There are also samples of the stone. Small 2″ squares of stone – some where heavy stone, and others the same size were super light from the tunnels and shapes of the coral. The exterior of the visitor center also had columns made from the quarry’s stone.

At first I thought I would paint one of the old walls with a tree growing through it, but then I saw the backside of the two story visitors center overlooking the quarry. It almost looked antebellum with the white columns!

For more information about this park, visit their website

Visitor’s center at Windley Key – 6×8″ oil on canvas panel

entrance to park

Cut stone wall

wall cutter machine

Stone Garden

Visitors center display

moving machinery

Shell Fossil in wall

slab cutting machinery

Trees growing from wall

coral fossil in wall

painting in progress