1836 – Feilding A. Browne was elected mayor of Key West.
1886 – Still reeling from the devastating March 30 fire, the Relief Committee of Key West issued a plea to the nation, saying, “A large portion of our city having been swept away by the flames, our industrial occupations entirely ruined, and thousands of our people left in utter destitution and distress, we find ourselves compelled to appeal to the benevolence of our country…”
1924 – The fruit schooner Igo arrived at Key West and reported the large, four-masted schooner Avon Queen was aground on Coalbin Rocks near the Marquesas Keys and required assistance. The Coast Guard Cutter Saukee proceeded to the scene.
1936 – The Italian steamship Maddelena Odero went aground near the Bar Buoy at the entrance of Key West’s Main Ship Channel and “mashed” the American Telephone & Telegraph cable, cutting off service to the island.
1941 – Eight female students at Key West High School formed a carpentry class – the first of their sex to do so in Florida. They were building cabinets at the Army barracks and expected to complete construction of a house before the end of their coursework.
1961 – The Cable Schooner Western Union arrived at Key West after having been stopped in international waters by two armed Cuban gunboats.
1961 – Jack Davis, a Miami car dealer, and John O’Connor, a Nassau developer, announced their intention to build a 50-yacht marina, clubhouse, cottages, a swimming pool, and tennis courts on Wisteria Island in Key West Harbor.
1984 – According to a U.S. Census report, the federal government spent $173.5 million in Monroe County in the preceding year. The Defense Department was the largest spender in the county, with Social Security and veteran’s benefits a close second.
1994 – Samuel J. “Mickey” Feiner won his eleventh term as mayor of Key Colony Beach. Feiner was also serving as chairman of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Ruins of the Key West harbor front after the fire of 1886. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.