A topic that I’ve dwelled on in previous writing, both on this page and elsewhere (especially in my creative work), is whether people or places are the strongest vessels for what we considered “haunted” – rarely have I explored “things” as the source of such energy. Seems to have been an oversight on my part as the “cursed item,” such as a necklace or a mirror, are such keystones in horror and fiction. I simply haven’t come across such pieces or sought them out. Ignoring my Ouija board collection. But at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, I came face-to-face with “haunted” royalty, wandering a chill, brick corridor where a glass case holds something (or someone?) of legend: Robert the Doll.
Known as one of the most haunted objects in the world, Robert has become a must-see for anyone in love with the weird. As much as I dislike beaches and hot weather, Key West is somehow one of my favorite places in this great blue world of ours. I thought I had seen all of the whimsical and weird Key West had to offer in previous visits, but meeting Robert was something that I had somehow missed.