The First (and Second) Key West Lighthouse

In the summer of 1821, the United States assumed control over the old Spanish province of Florida, according to the terms of the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty. General Andrew Jackson was appointed Territorial Governor in Pensacola, and troops from the United States raised the American flag over the old Castillo de San Marcos in the "Ancient City" of St. Augustine. The civilized section of Florida was in the north; the southern extremities were the haunt of pirates, Indians, and wreckers. Indeed, it was not even clear in the treaty whether or not the Florida Keys had been included in the territory transferred to the United States.