“Robert Did It”
Last month I had the opportunity to visit Key West with my mother. Of all the places I’ve traveled over the years, I had never been to the southern-most part of Florida. Inevitably when visiting Key West, a ghost tour was at the top of my list of things to do. I chose Ghosts & Gravestones for the simple fact that it visits the museum where Robert the Doll lives. Dr. Reed was our guide. I also enjoyed the friendly hostess, who vaguely reminded me of Helena Bonham Carter circa “Sweeney Todd”.
The highlight of this tour, as I suspected, was visiting Robert the Doll at the East Martello Museum. I’ve been reading about Robert and watching television programs about him for YEARS. And when I saw him in person on the tour, I felt like I was meeting Jesus. He is just that famous. As a former ghost tour guide, I really feel like I have reached Ghost Tour Nirvana. Robert is the holy grail, y’all. Enough metaphors for now…..About Robert: He belonged to a little boy named Robert “Eugene” Otto. He had been a gift from his Caribbean nanny, who cursed the doll, after being fired by the family. Neighbors could see the creepy doll with the beady eyes, sitting in the window of the Otto’s home, staring out the window. Whenever Eugene acted up, he told his parents “Robert did it”. And since being housed at the museum, he is still up to his old tricks. He is known to shift positions in his showcase. It is possible that he runs around at night when no one else is there. He will curse you if he doesn’t like you. And he has the ability to make things miserable for anyone who disrespects him.
The beautiful home where Robert lived until 1974 on Eaton Street, known as the “Artist House” is now a bed and breakfast. That upper front window is where he used to sit, a sentinel, peering out at the world, conjuring evil thoughts.
The second highlight of the tour was the story of Carl Tanzler, a German radiology technician. He is known for having been married to a corpse. Yep. You read that correctly. His wife, Maria Elena “Helen” Milagro de Hoyos, died of tuberculosis in 1931, but Carl, obsessed with Helen, dug up her body and lived with her decomposing corpse until 1940, when he was confronted by the authorities.
I also enjoyed the other stories, and visiting the Shipwreck museum. Dr. Reed gave me a “ghost meter” and it was going crazy. Our time there was brief, but I really wanted to come back and visit for a longer period of time. Maybe I will another time.
This tour company operates in several cities. I am hoping to take another Ghosts & Gravestones tour again on upcoming trips in other places.
PS- You are DOOMED.
(No, really. Say that if you see the bus driving by. Watch what happens.)
PPS- Thank you Robert, for allowing us to visit, and for allowing me to post your photograph on this blog.
(You may be cursed if you don’t thank him for allowing you to look at his photo on my blog.)
