Fish Check Charters - Key West, FL

in 1893, Key West's own Welters Cornet Band was named 'Champion of the State', a high honor in Florida.

The Welter’s Cornet Band was a beloved sight on the streets of Key West and was a highlight at any funeral, representing one of the most respected rituals on the island. A typical funeral dirge band, Welter‘s Cornet was a 15-member group of musicians that provided a memorable farewell to community members as they were carried over Solares Hill for the final time en route to Key West Cemetery. Like second line funeral bands in New Orleans and other towns of the south, Welter’s Cornet played somber tunes along Key West streets to the gravesite and upbeat tunes on the way out of the cemetery as family and friends were on their way to eat, drink, gather and tell stories of the deceased.

📸: Frederick Douglass School Black Educators' Memorial Project, Inc.