1855 – Florida Gov. J.E. Broome signed a law passed by the Legislature that made it illegal for any Free Black person who arrived at Key West by ship to leave the dock. If they did, they faced arrest, and the master of the vessel was liable for any fines or costs of their punishment.
1861 – The State of Florida seceded from the Union. Key West remained loyal to the Union, the only Southern city to remain in the United States during the Civil War.
1923 – Mayor B.L. Smith announced that airmail service between Key West and Havana would start in one week, with Aeromarine Airways as carrier. All first-class mail was to be dispatched daily (minus Saturdays) after the arrival of the train.
1926 – Charles L. Ort of Ort Realty in Miami was meeting with Charles H. Ketchum, the company’s local representative, about their development known as “Key Largo City.” Ort claimed he was spending $20 million to create one of the finest developments in the country – an exclusive city with beautiful streets, boulevards, hotels, golf courses, and tennis courts.
1957 – Former President Herbert Hoover came to Key West aboard the 98-foot yacht Genie. On an annual visitor to the Key Largo Anglers Club, Hoover and his party decided to try fishing in Marathon and Key West.
1958 – Baseball great Ted Williams filed a declaration of domicile at the Monroe County clerk of court, listing his address as Islamorada.
1969 – Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Thomas L. (Tennessee) Williams became a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church when he was baptized at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church.
1970 – Long Key State Park opened.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Ted Williams with two bonefish. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.