Thompson Fish House, Turtle Cannery and Kraals



The Thompson Fish House, Turtle Cannery and Kraals is a historic site located at 200 Margaret Street, Key West, Florida, United States. On June 23, 1994, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The kraals were fenced-in holding pens adjacent to the cannery in a sheltered bay at the north end of town, where turtles were kept awaiting slaughter. The once-fashionable turtle meat was canned and sold to cooks who used it largely to make turtle soup. The valuable Tortoiseshell was used to make many kinds of products made today from plastic.

The building is owned by the City of Key West, and currently houses exhibits from the nearby Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum. The Turtle Kraals Museum, which educated the public about dangers to sea turtles, was formerly located at this site.