The Key West Art and Historical Society provides locals and tourist alike with three first-class museums and properties featuring a myriad of art, cultural and historic exhibits.</p><p>“We preserve and exhibit the culture of the Florida Keys,” Claudia Pennington, executive director of the KWAHS, said. “Our mission is to education people about how great the Florida Keys really are.”</p><p>If you only plan on visiting one of the three historic properties, you will more than likely go to the beautifully constructed brick Custom House, built in 1891 and faithfully restored at its 281 Front St. location.</p><p>Referring to the Custom House, Pennington said, “It really witnessed Key West at its best to the Great Depression.” At the turn of the 20th century, Key West was considered the wealthiest city per capita in America thanks to the economic boon of shipwrecking. This stands in stark contrast to the 1930s when Key West was the poorest city per capita in the nation because of its isolation and the devastating 1935 Labor Day hurricane.</p><p>The woodcarvings of Key West artist Mario Sanchez, exhibited in the Custom House, tell the story of the Southernmost City’s city rise and fall through the eyes of locals.</p><p>The Custom House recently placed 11 sculptures from Seward Johnson’s ICONS series on the porch and grounds in an effort to engage passers-by. The life-size sculptures show everyday people frozen in a moment like a pair playing Frisbee on the lawn, for instance, and an old man sweeping up the debris leftover from the night before.</p><p>“We realize that people want to be involved with these things all the time,” Pennington said.</p><p>Despite the international economic downturn, Pennington said that the KWAHS is doing great. “So far this season has started really well for us,” she said. “We’ve done better this year than last year.”</p><p>Speaking of membership, Pennington said that over 2,000 die-hard members, primarily Key Westers, help keep the society going despite a recent downturn in applicants.</p><p>“We do have a lot of people that’ve said, ‘we’d love to be members, but we’ve got to see how things go,’” Pennington said. But, “many families have been members for years because there’s a lot of benefits.”</p><p>Continue your tour of the KWAHS properties by going down Whitehead Street, across from the Hemingway House, to the Lighthouse Museum and Keepers Quarters Museum at 938 Whitehead St.</p><p>The eye will immediately wander to the 86-foot-tall lighthouse, the 15th oldest in the nation, that was built in 1847 and extended to its present height in 1894.</p><p>A visitor can walk in the footsteps of former light keepers, walking up the 88 iron steps to the top, and imagine a by-gone time when the giant bulb was used to steer incoming ships around the treacherous and jagged coral reef south of Key West.</p><p>The view from the top is a photographers’ dream; you can enjoy a panoramic view of Key West from the Custom House and cruise ship terminals, Fort Taylor and the Outer Mole, over to the Southernmost House and the steeples of St. Paul’s on Duval St.</p><p>Exhibits containing quotes from previous light keepers along with the restored clapboard house complete with restored furnishing and photographs were placed “so the lighthouse keepers tell the story of Florida lighthouse in their own words,” Pennington said.</p><p> Moving over the Atlantic side of the island, visitors can enjoy a shining example of military architecture, along with memorabilia and something special for the paranormalists out there, at the Fort East Martello Tower and Gardens at 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd.</p><p>Built during the Civil War era, Fort East Martello was never complete and never saw any action; but, just in case, the eight-foot thick granite walls were based on well-fortified Italian coastal watchtowers.</p><p>The view from the citadel, in the center of the fort, affords beautiful views of the Atlantic.</p><p>But, undeniably, the star attraction is Robert the Doll, which has a long history of being involved in unexplainable, some would say haunted, events.</p><p>The straw doll, between 105 and 107 years old, was the childhood plaything of artist Robert Eugene Otto. In the late 1800s, Otto began blaming household mishaps on his doll, which led to the doll’s isolation to the attic.</p><p>But Robert the Doll wasn’t done. As the story goes, schoolchildren passing Otto’s familial mansion at the corner of Eaton and Simonton streets were scared by a mysterious face peeking out an attic window; they eventually altered the route.</p><p><b>If you go</b> The Custom House is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; The Lighthouse and East Martello are open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. </p><p>Admission to the Custom House and the Lighthouse Museum is $10 for adults, $5 for kids and students with identification, children under 6 are free, and $9 for seniors over 62, AAA members and Monroe County residents with identification.</p><p>Admission to Fort East Martello Museum and Gardens is $6 for adults, $3 for kids and students with identification, children under 6 are free, and $5 for seniors over 62, AAA members and Monroe County residents with identification.</p><p>Admission is free to members. A single membership begins at $55 annually and includes free admission to all three properties, invitations to special exhibit openings and discounts on classes and programs for adults and children. For a full break down of membership options, check out See the <a href="http://www.kwahs.com/joinA.htm"target=_"blank">www.kwahs.com/joinA.htm</a>.