1860 – Elections were held for delegates to the convention at Tallahassee to determine if Florida would join the Confederate States of America. The secessionists were victorious and announced they would take Fort Taylor.
1909 – The 102-ton schooner Annie Greenlaw was delivered to Key West turtle soup manufacturer Armand Granday. Granday planned to use the vessel to procure green turtles from Mexican and Central American waters, as the creatures had become scarce in the Keys.
1917 – The first planes flew from the new Naval Air Station on rented land at the railroad yard on Trumbo Point. Two planes made a test flight over the city
1944 – Internationally-known conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton performed at the Tropics Nightclub, 700 Duval Street, in Key West. The sisters sang, danced, told the story of their lives, and signed autographs for the audience.
1957 – Billy Watkins Moody, an itinerant church organist and serial arsonist, was charged with setting the fire that destroyed the First Baptist Church on April 2, 1956. Moody also admitted to setting fires at other churches and military installations across the country.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Green turtles and sponges on the pier Key West, ca. 1910. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.