The Northwest Passage refers to a corridor into Key West Harbor from the northwest -- the Gulf and Florida Bay. A lightship first marked the passage, until March 5, 1855, when a lighthouse was constructed in shallow water on five iron piles. Manned by a keeper and two assistants, it originally displayed a Fifth Order light. Throughout the Civil War, as Key West remained in Federal hands, the beacon continued to light the way.

By 1879 the wooden portions had deteriorated so badly that the entire tower was replaced, at which time a larger Fourth Order lens was installed. The lighthouse was unmanned around 1911 when it was converted to acetylene gas.

Today little remains of the Northwest Passage Lighthouse. In 1971 a fire destroyed the wooden portions, leaving only the iron-pile foundation. Locals refer to it as the "Hemingway house on the water," citing the local legend the building was once owned or used by Ernest Hemingway for his fishing expeditions.

Harbour Lights has carefully depicted this stunning beacon, as it stood in its prime, complete with the beautiful keeper’s quarters and even a supply boat awaiting departure!