Florida’s “creepiest” ghost town is hidden on an island. Here’s a look inside

PINELLAS COUNTY, Florida – Florida has many strange ghost towns, such as a community built on stilts and an abandoned logging neighborhood.

However, this was rated the “creepiest” ghost town in the Sunshine State, according to Thrillist.

The ghost town, Fort Dade, is located on Egmont Key, which is only accessible by boat from the mouth of Tampa Bay.

“Although the lighthouse is still operational, the rest of the city is in ruins, with deteriorating brick roads and stairs leading to military batteries that no longer protect Tampa Bay,” Thrillist writes.

While the island’s origins date back to the 18th century, Fort Dade was established in 1898 to help protect the area during the Spanish-American War.

As the fort was built, the island’s population grew, spawning a small town on Egmont Key. At its peak, the population exceeded 600 people, historians say.

During World War I, the island became a training center for the National Guard Coast Artillery, and with so many people living there, new barracks, mess halls, officer quarters, and more had to be built.

In fact, the island city had electricity and reportedly had a hospital, a jail, tennis courts, a movie theater, and even a bowling alley.

However, not everything went smoothly.

Mosquitoes and rattlesnakes (which remain a problem to this day) were a constant concern for many on the island, and having to rely on shipping goods, often at great cost, was also incredibly bothersome for the inhabitants of the city.

After World War I, technological advances in military equipment made the fort obsolete, as battleships were capable of firing from outside the range of the fort. As a result, Fort Dade was deactivated in the early 1920s and almost all residents were evicted or moved elsewhere.

In subsequent years, the Coast Guard used Egmont Key as a bombing range and the Tampa Bay Pilots Association established operations on the island to help guide ships.

Unfortunately, the island has been ravaged by fires since Fort Dade was deactivated, resulting in the destruction of many of its facilities.

Today, the city has only one permanent resident left: park ranger “Mr. Thomas.”

He lives in a private home on the northern half of the island, next to the old lighthouse, and regularly takes his all-terrain vehicle out on the island’s trails while on patrol.

Behind the ranger station is a cemetery that houses the remains of Spanish-American War soldiers, a lighthouse keeper, relatives of previous lighthouse keepers, and Seminole people who were detained on the island in the 19th century.

Taking a trail south from the ranger station will take visitors to an old brick road used by residents when Fort Dade was still active.

The highway stretches across much of the island and takes visitors through the remains of the ghost town.

Additionally, three major batteries (fortified buildings intended to protect Tampa Bay from intruders) still remain on the island.

Following the brick path long enough, visitors will reach the first of them: Battery McIntosh.

McIntosh is the southernmost of the three batteries and also the first to be built.

Stairs allow guests to climb to the top of the old battery, although the camp floods easily during the rainy season, meaning its walkways are often flooded and difficult to maneuver.

(SCROLL DOWN TO SEE IMAGES OF BATTERY MCINTOSH)

Continuing on, the island trail leads to Battery Guy Howard, who is the youngest of the three.

This battery is named after Major Guy Howard, who died in the Philippines in 1899 as part of the Philippine-American War.

This was also the first of three batteries to have their guns removed, as they were used on the European front during World War II.

(SCROLL DOWN TO SEE IMAGES OF BATTERY HOWARD)

The last is Battery Mellon, the northernmost battery that remained in operation until 1920, when the Army determined that its weapons were unsafe.

After the fort was closed, Mellon became overgrown with invasive plants, which damaged much of the structure.

However, volunteers removed much of the vegetation in the 1990s, meaning visitors can once again explore the massive building.

(SCROLL DOWN TO SEE IMAGES OF BATTERY MELLON)

Beyond the abandoned ghost town, Egmont Key also features a wide coastline, ideal for visitors who want to relax on the beach or hunt for shells.

It’s also reportedly a great place to find washed shark teeth.

To reach the island, visitors can take their own boats or purchase tickets for the Egmont Key ferry through Hubbard Marina.

The ferry picks up guests at Fort De Soto Beach and takes them to the island for a three-hour excursion. Outside of peak season, guests are few and far between, so many visitors will have the opportunity to wander the Fort Dade ruins at their own pace.

While on the island, guests are invited to search for a “secret” bunker.

Here’s a hint: make sure to keep an eye out for fire control towers.

Unfortunately, the island is in something of a crisis, meaning these structures may not exist in the long term.

Since the early 1940s, Egmont has lost about half of its land mass thanks to beach erosion and sea level rise, and its original more than 500 acres have been reduced to just 250 acres in the present.

As a result, the Friends of Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges are trying to drum up support for an initiative to bring more sand to the island. For more information about the project, click here.

Meanwhile, News 6 has included many photos from around the island in the gallery at the top of this story.

Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Diary: