1863 – Key West received official notification of the Emancipation Proclamation. To their great joy, all enslaved people on the island were suddenly freed. “A high time the lads and lasses of the dark hue had of it,” wrote a witness.
1898 – The Battleship Maine, anchored off the Tortugas, was ordered to sail to Havana.
1907 – While dredging the Key West Harbor anchorage, the steam dredge George W. Allen uncovered a “turtle graveyard” consisting of several tons of shells and bones, along with many utilitarian items discarded by vessels over the previous decades.
1912 – Henry Flagler left on his special train at 6:22 a.m., ending his visit for the opening of the Overseas Railroad and his last visit to Key West.
1948 – Sally Rand, internationally known fan dancer, appeared at the dance and casino sponsored by the Arthur Sawyer Post, American Legion, for benefit of the March of Dimes. Miss Rand was a part-time resident of Key West.
1983 – The idea of “The City of Big Pine Key” was put on hold after the Big Pine Key Civic Association declined to hold an informal vote on incorporation at their meeting. The standing room-only crowd was strongly divided on the matter.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Hydraulic dredge, Geo. W. Allen, pumping into Key West fill through a 2180 ft. discharge pipe. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.