April 14

Greek Sponge Fishermen at Key West, 1926.

1836 – Accounts from Indian Key reached Tallahassee that residents on the island were fearful of an attack by the Seminoles. Two Native American spies thought to have been part of a larger mainland group had recently been apprehended near the key.

1930 – A statement was read at the Key West City Commission meeting advising any Greek sponge fishermen from Tarpon Springs to avoid moving their operations to Key West. Keys spongers thought the diving equipment used by the Greeks would destroy the sponge beds.

1933 – A shipment of clothing and bedding was sent from Washington, D.C. to the Red Cross at Key West. The shirts, pants, dresses, hose, work clothes, blankets, and sheets were intended for the island’s poor who had been hit hard by the Depression.

1970 – Eight carloads of Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies raided a “newly-sprouted” hippie colony on Old Boca Chica Road, expecting to find narcotics. Officers made no arrests, though, as they found only 20 “love people” and some dogs at the shanty town village.

1984 – The pilot and passenger were killed when a single-engine plane crashed into a Seminary Street home shortly after taking off from Key West International Airport. The house was damaged by the impact and resulting fire, but no one inside was injured.

2010 – Elliot Tiber, who had a prominent role in the 1969 Woodstock music festival, announced that his proposed “Gaystock” festival, which he planned to hold in Key West in 2011, would not happen. Disputes with partners and the difficulties of hosting 25,000 attendees, obstructed the event.

Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: Greek Sponge Fishermen at Key West, 1926. (Note the diving helmet and hose to the right.) Keystone Glass Slide. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.