Jeffery W. McKelroy

A Ghost Story from Key West, Florida

by Jeffery W. McKelroy

On any humid summer evening in 1930’s Key West, Florida, the island’s pastel homes glowed under the eerie light of a waxing moon. In a small, weathered house on Eaton Street, a peculiar doll sat propped in a rocking chair by a bay window. His name was Robert, and everyone in Key West knew his legend. Some whispered about it in the shadows; others crossed the street to avoid the old house entirely.

Robert the doll was a gift to a young boy named Eugene Otto over a century ago. Dressed in a sailor’s suit, with lifelike button eyes and a mischievous smile stitched across his face, Robert quickly became Eugene’s constant companion. What started as innocent play soon spiraled into something more sinister. Neighbors reported hearing giggles echoing after dark and spotted the doll moving from window to window when nobody was home.

As Eugene grew up, he insisted the doll was alive, blaming Robert for strange accidents, broken dishes, and mysterious noises that filled the house at night. When Eugene passed away in 1974, the house and its infamous occupant changed hands, but Robert remained. Each new owner experienced unexplained misfortune—misplaced keys, flickering lights, and chilling cold spots in the warm Florida air.

Today, Robert resides behind glass in the East Martello Museum, but visitors claim his eyes follow them as they walk by. Some say if you take his photo without asking permission, your camera malfunctions or you’re met with bad luck until you send a letter of apology to the haunted doll. To this day, the legend of Robert the doll endures, a chilling piece of Key West’s ghostly folklore.

I first visited the East Martello Museum in 2001. I didn’t know the story of Robert then. I went there because the museum is housed in an old fort. If there is an old fort around, I want to see it. At that time Robert was in a glass case but shoved in a corner. I discovered him while exploring the casemates. At that time there were numerous letters posted on the walls around him from visitors to the museum who had been disrespectful to him and had subsequently had some misfortune in their lives.  I took a picture of the doll without first asking permission. I used a disposable camera. When the film was developed, I discovered that the only picture that did not come out was the one with Robert. In 2007 I wrote about Robert in my 1^st book American Ghost-True Ghost Stories from Around the Country.

Robert’s case has since been upgraded to one more befitting a celebrity. He has been featured on many paranormal tv shows and in countless books. The gift shop is filled with Robert the Doll souvenirs. The letters are still there and they keep coming. On this visit I asked permission before taking a picture and it came out fine.