Today in Keys History – January 18
1912 – John J. Frawley, of the Lubin Manufacturing Company, was in Key West to film the arrival of the First Train and the other industries of the city.
1940 – The East Martello Tower was opened to tourists. Boys employed by the National Youth Administration served as guides and offered visitors a history of the Civil War-era brick structure.
1953 – The Key West Aquarium had developed into one of Florida’s major tourist attractions. Bill Kroll, the director, reported that the Aquarium had 145,722 paid admissions in 1952.
1985 – Monroe County was proposing a new land use plan that would render many ecologically sensitive or wetlands lots undevelopable. As a way of providing a financial return on the restricted land, the concept of “transferrable development rights” was put forth by a county land-use consultant.
1991 – Key West became the final link in cellular phone service to the Florida Keys when BellSouth Mobility installed its equipment in the city.
1992 – Charter boat Captain Hans Baumgarten was murdered by two men who stole his boat and attempted to go to Cuba. The men were arrested when the boat ran out of gas.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: East Martello before the door was cut for the museum, ca. 1950. From the Jeff Broadhed Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.