1828 – After six years of dispute with other claimants of the island, John W. Simonton was declared Key West’s legal owner. Simonton had...

1829 – A duel was fought between Charles E. Hawkins of the Mexican Navy and William Allison McRea, U.S. Attorney for the Southern...

1883 – E.G. Chesley wrote from Key West that pineapple farming was “rapidly extending throughout Monroe County.” He noted that 300 acres...

1863 – Two prisoners at Fort Jefferson attempted to escape from the Dry Tortugas on a floating plank. The water was rough, and they did...

1836 – Seminole warriors attacked the schooner Mary at Tavernier Key. Two of the five crewmen were shot, but all successfully escaped...

1816 – The Ship Rebecca , carrying wine from Cadiz to Savannah, was caught in a hurricane and wrecked on the Florida Reef. The crew...

Collecting Conch and sea urchins in the 1970s. 1842 – The barque Alasco , sailing from Havana to St. Petersburg, ran ashore at Conch...

The beach on the north side of the Army Barracks before Trumbo Point was built. 1900 – In a race on Key West’s Barracks Beach, a horse...