top of page

Today in Keys History – June 23, 2024

Writer's picture: Keys History CenterKeys History Center
A set of covered bleachers on a sports field.

1891 – Dr. Lemuel W. Livingston, principal of Key West’s Douglass School, accompanied by six staff members, left for Jacksonville to attend the annual convention of the Colored State Teacher’s Association.

1904 – A shooting took place on Fitzpatrick Street between two men from rival insurance companies. One man was shot in the shoulder and the other arrested and charged with assault with intent to murder.

1910 – Engine No. 12, known as the “pioneer” engine of the East Coast Railroad extension, was delivered by barge to the eastern end of Stock Island. The locomotive would be used to haul material to facilitate construction of the track on the island.

1944 – U.S. Army Sergeant Harry L. “Bubber” Wickers, a Key West native and one of the island’s great athletes, was killed in action in Normandy, France.

1970 – Presidential candidate George Wallace was in Key West on vacation.

1994 – Key West resident Nancy Forrester wanted to open the one-acre tropical garden she owned between Elizabeth and Simonton streets to the public, but the City of Key West would first have to rezone the property from residential to commercial. The “secret” garden contained hundreds of varieties of trees, foliage, and flowers.

Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: Wickers Field, named for Sgt. Harry L. “Bubber” Wickers killed in action during WWII, North Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West. Photo taken ca. 1970 by the Monroe County Property Appraiser’s Office.  Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

0 views

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page