1857 – The wrecking schooner Florida, while loading cotton from a ship ashore at Caesar’s Creek, was burned to the waterline. While the crew was working at night, a globe lamp that hung from the mast was accidentally knocked into the cargo hold, and the vessel was set ablaze. The schooner was a total loss, but the crew were all saved.
1923 – Customs inspectors seized 88 demijohns of liquor and 30 sacks of beer at the Fort Taylor reservation. It was suspected for some time that rum runners were using the government property to land cargoes smuggled from Cuba.
1924 – Pilot W.L. Hamilton used the all-metal hydroplane of Aeromarine Airways to fly over Key West and take photos of the island for photo publishers Underwood & Underwood.
1927 – Contractors began uncovering and removing the remains of soldiers buried in the Post Cemetery at the Army Barracks on White Street. The bodies were to be transferred to Fort Barrancas in Pensacola.
1941 – The submarines S-22, S-25 and S-27 completed monthlong repairs at Key West and sailed offshore for test runs. The subs were to be used in conjunction with training at the sonar school.
1949 – The Army Barracks was transferred to the Navy. The 26-acre site on the western shore of Garrison Bight would be used to build the Peary Court Navy housing complex.
1983 – Pinewoods Nature Trail on Big Pine Key was renamed the Jack Watson Trail in honor of the late Key Deer Wildlife Refuge manager who had devoted over 20 years to the protection of the island’s natural habitat.
1989 – Don Pinder, the Key West Citizen’s premier photographer, retired after 35 years.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Aerial view of Key West C 1920’s taken from an Aeromarine flying boat. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.