1850 – A report on maritime traffic for the month of July from the Sand Key lightship said that 15 ships, 12 barques, 11 brigs, and 1 schooner passed by, eastward bound. Sailing westward were 4 ships, 1 barque, 6 brigs, and 1 schooner.
1894 – The Wagner Canning Company of Key West closed its plant for the season after processing 50,000 cases of canned pineapples. The pineapples were grown on the Upper Keys and brought to Key West for canning.
1937 – Dorothy Betancourt, a 17-year-old Key West high school student, was crowned “Miss Key West” at the Cuban Club. The contest was sponsored by the Social Club Martí and the Sociedad Cuba.
1939 – Author Ernest Hemingway returned to Key West from a Cuban fishing trip, and in an interview with the Key West Citizen he said he was planning to head to Europe to report on the impending war.
1953 – The Navy announced that, of the five Navy enlisted men and one officer who were convicted or facing charges in connection with the Charity Carnival sponsored “stag show,” all the enlisted men had been cleared and the officer was given a severe reprimand and forfeiture of pay.
1992 – Hurricane Andrew hit Southern Florida causing extensive damage. The storm caused downed power lines and trees in the Upper Keys and did heavy damage in the Ocean Reef area.
2006 – A survey of Florida Keys tourism workers revealed that 60% planned to leave the island chain within five years, with many citing the lack of living wages and the threat of hurricanes as reasons why.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Ocean Reef Marina after Hurricane Andrew 1992. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.