1852 – A Key West correspondent noted that there had been no wrecks on the reef in over two months, and the wrecking fleet – 30 sloops and schooners and over 200 seamen – was suffering financially. “We can recollect over 20 vessels that have touched and gone off without injury, much to the sorrow of those who get their livelihood from the misfortune of others,” he wrote. Another Key West correspondent wrote of industry on the island, “’If you have tears, prepare to shed them now,’ we never mention [business]. Its name is never heard. It is a dream of the past, as every day is now Sunday in that respect, and I verily believe that if this state of stagnation prevails much longer, merely by way of keeping their hands in practice, our wreckers will commence wrecking one another.”
1860 – The USS Mohawk escorted the captured slave ship Wildfire into Key West harbor. The Wildfire had 510 Africans from the Congo River area of Africa who were being taken to Cuba to be sold in the slave trade. The Wildfire was in violation of American and international law and the U.S. Navy was actively searching for violators.
1898 – War prices ruled in Key West. A tall glass of soda cost 15 cents, lemonade 20 cents and beer 25 cents. Drinking water was becoming more valuable every day, as the water shortage grew worse because of no rain.
1902 – Hannah Brooks died at age 102. She was born in St. Augustine but had been in Key West for 70 years. She was a trained nurse and had ministered to almost every family on the Island during her many years of service.
1904 – At a meeting of the Key West Board of Aldermen, it was learned that the city had no money to pay the police, so the force was discharged, minus three officers – the night watch, the sergeant, and marshal.
1904 – Three large rattlesnakes had been killed along Key West’s County Road (Flagler Avenue) in recent days. Each one was over five feet long and had from 12 to 15 rattles.
1966 – Three Key West High School seniors were killed and one critically injured in a car crash on Old Boca Chica Road after the Junior/Senior Prom.
1980 – Gov. Bob Graham ordered the Florida National Guard to Key West and the first unit, a military police unit, arrived to assist handling the Cuban refugee crisis. Six more boats arrived from Mariel with about 200 Cuban refugees. This brought the number of refugees to arrive in Key West to more than 4,700.
1982 – The establishment of the Conch Republic was getting worldwide attention, and Stella Cisneros, Mayor Dennis Wardlow’s secretary, was busy responding to requests about the mythical nation.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Hannah Brooks came to Key West in 1840s from St. Augustine. A trained nurse she took care of many families of Key West. She died in Key West April 30, 1902 age 102. Photo by A.J. Estevez. The Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.