About Long Key

The Middle Keys location of Edgewater Lodge is close to the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key, Long Key State Park, Curry Hammock State Park and bridge fishing opportunities abound.

Onsite is a beautiful, heated, fresh-water pool with a large deck to relax and tan while overlooking the Florida Bay. Barbecue gas grills and picnic tables are readily available to cook your fresh, ocean catch of the day or that nice, big steak from the nearby grocers!

Edgewater Lodge's unique location is also a popular place to look for the elusive "green flash" at sunset. Our guests love to sit at our Chickee huts on the water with cameras in-hand, ready for a great sunset picture. The "green flash" is a spectacular, natural phenomenon that can be seen when, at the moment of sunset, a part of the sun suddenly changes color from red or orange to green or blue. It is called a "flash" because it refers to the sudden and short-lived duration of the green color, generally lasting only a second or two. You can find lots of additional information on viewing and advice for photographing the "green flash" on the web.

Long Key History

There is a significant amount of important American history at Mile Marker 65.5, the location of Edgewater Lodge. Just across U.S. Highway 1, on the Atlantic Ocean side was the location of a popular and exclusive resort, founded by Flagler Railroad builder and magnate Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 - May 20, 1913) in the year 1908. "The Long Key Fishing Club" was born from the original barracks that housed the workers that built the Overseas Railroad all the way to Key West. When no longer needed to house workers, Flagler turned this property into a first-rate, world-class fishing resort. Long Key's location was known as boasting "some of the best fishing in the world." Popular author Zane Gray was the club's President and wrote many of his famous novels while there. The fishing camp soon became the main "stop-off" on the Overseas Railroad Line before continuing on to Key West.

This hideaway enticed affluent sportsmen from around the world. Early guests of prominence included Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, William Herst, Ernest Hemingway and many other dignitaries. Onsite were a hotel, thirty cottages, a recreation room, restaurant and post office. On the bay side, where Edgewater Lodge stands today, was the club's vast marina where the charter yachts swayed at the docks in the calm, smooth surf while waiting for the next fishing adventure

However, this peaceful fishing haven was not to last. The 200 mile-an-hour Labor Day hurricane of 1935 destroyed all of Henry Flagler's dreams. The Long Key Fish Camp and his railroad were obliterated when the most intense hurricane ever to strike the United States barreled through Long Key.