Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bat Tower-Sugarloaf Key
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Historic bat tower on Lower Sugarloaf Key, Florida
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 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| Location | Monroe County, Florida |
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| Nearest city | Key West, Florida |
| Built | 1929 |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002377 |
| Added to NRHP | May 13, 1982 |
The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower, also known as the Perky Bat Tower, was a special building in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It was located on Lower Sugarloaf Key, which is part of the Florida Keys. This tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 1982, because it was an important historical site. Sadly, a big storm called Hurricane Irma blew the tower down in 2017.
Why Was It Built?
The bat tower was built in 1929 by a man named Richter Clyde Perky. He owned a fishing lodge and had a big problem with mosquitoes in the Lower Keys. Mosquitoes can be very annoying and can even spread diseases like malaria.
Mr. Perky bought plans for the tower from Charles Campbell, who was an early expert in studying bats. Campbell called his design the "Hygiostatic Bat Roost." The idea was to create a comfortable home for bats. Bats eat a lot of insects, so the hope was that they would live in the tower and help control the mosquito population.
However, when bats were brought to the Sugarloaf Key tower, they supposedly flew away and never came back. So, the tower didn't quite work as planned for its original purpose.
What Happened to It?
The Sugarloaf Bat Tower was knocked over on September 10, 2017, by the very strong winds of Hurricane Irma. It is not yet known if the tower will be fixed or put back up.
There were once fourteen of these special Campbell bat towers around the world. Today, only two are still standing in the United States. One is in Comfort, Texas, and another is at the Shangri-La Gardens in Orange, Texas. At least one of the Texas towers has been rebuilt inside, and bats now live there.
The remains of a fourth Campbell tower, located in Temple Terrace, Florida, burned down in 1979. Only its concrete base and legs are left. However, the town of Temple Terrace is working on rebuilding their tower, which was first built in 1924.
