George Adderley House

The George Adderly house is at Crane Point & The Marathon Wild Bird Center at the light between publix & win Dixie. It's a slice of peaceful paradise the offers a glimpse into what the dense vegetation used to look like before we paved paradise.

You can take a guided or non guided tour. This can be done in rain or shine because the cover will keep you (mostly) dry. Very quickly you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere as the sounds of the birds drown out the sounds of the nearby cars.

The group also offer bird rescue where countless birds are rescued, rehabilitated and released whenever possible.

The story of George and Olivia Adderley begins in the 1890's when they, along with other Bahamians, sailed from the Bahamas to the Keys. The Adderleys lived in the Upper Keys for several years before moving to Key Vaca where they purchased 32 acres of land now known as Crane Point. Their home, which George built, is made of Tabby construction, a concrete-like material made of burned conch and other shells. The Adderley House is a classic Bahamian-style and is the oldest house in the Keys outside Key West.
The kitchen is a small separate building to protect the main house from possible fire hazards. The Adderleys planted a kitchen garden with root vegetables, pigeon peas and fruit trees. George worked as a turtler and a sponger. He also made charcoal from buttonwood. When George had accumulated a sufficient amount of saleable items, he would sail to Key West with his wares to sell thus providing the family with cash. This site which became known as Adderley Town attracted other Bahamians. The 1906 railroad survey map shows ten houses in the area of Crane Point. When the developers of the Overseas Railroad asked residents to sign a release granting them right-of-way through the property, the residents declined to so unless they were given a station. The railroad agreed and "Station Vaca" was created. This station allowed George easier access to take his products to Key West for sale. Nearly a half century later, and after the death of Olivia Adderley, George sold the property to Mr. & Mrs. Crane and moved to Key West.