Today in Keys History – June 11, 2024
- Keys History Center
- Jun 10, 2024
- 1 min read
1898 – A large English steamship ran aground at Coffins Patch 10 miles from Sombrero Key Lighthouse with a cargo of cotton. The crew was saved.
1913 – The steamer Julian Alonzo was loaded at Key West with 1,950 tierces of lard (a tierce is a 42-gallon cask), 215 barrels of salt pork, 600 cases of eggs, 300 sacks of wheat, six pianos, three boxes of music rolls, 200 sacks of flour, and 10 crates of hams. The 500-ton, Cuba-bound cargo was valued at $1.1 million.
1924 – Work was rapidly progressing on the road to the Key West golf course. The road began at the Stock Island side of the bridge and would end at the pro shop near the first hole.
1937 – The Florida Keys Aqueduct Commission was created by the Florida State Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Frederick P. Cone. The members of the Board of Commissioners were William Daughtry, William M. Arnold and Earl R. Adams.
1982 – After 74 years of operation, the Harris School on Southard Street in Key West closed.
1992 – The Turtle Hospital in Marathon was dedicated.
1998 – The U.S. Customs Service began boosting forces at Key West to stop illegal drug trafficking via cruise ships. Passengers departing the ships were likely to be greeted by additional deputies and drug-sniffing dogs.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Harris High School 812 Southard Street, Key West, ca. 1910. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
