1856 – The sounds of artillery fired at Havana were heard throughout Key West. A witness elaborated on the phenomenon, “It is not the first time that cannon fired at the Moro have been heard at Key West. A southerly wind, a calm Gulf, and an atmosphere of peculiar temperature are favorable to the transportation of sound in this latitude for long distances.”
1934 – Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot was made an honorary life member of the Long Key Fishing Club. The Governor and his party spent several weeks fishing at the Club.
1941 – Radio station WAPI of Birmingham, Alabama, aired a story about Key West’s guava jelly. The broadcast received national attention and prompted many inquiries for information about the island and how to buy the jelly.
1955 – A mysterious fire razed the living quarters of the Caribbean Club on Key Largo, killing Jo Selby of Miami.
1974 – Congressman Dante Fascell’s office was in contact with the Navy to see if there was an interest in acquiring the presidential yacht USS Williamsburg, once used by Harry S. Truman, for use as a museum in Key West. At the time, the vessel was being used as a restaurant and cocktail bar in New Jersey.
1986 – Principal Theresa Axford announced that Mary Immaculate High School would close at the end of the school year.
1986 – Monroe County and the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation inspected the Long Key landfill for health hazards coming from the site. Of concern were “sludge pits” of sewage collected from septic tanks, campgrounds, and marinas, which were thought to be leaching into groundwater.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: President Truman’s yacht Williamsburg at Naval Station Key West. The Heritage House Collection, donated by the Campbell, Poirier, and Pound families. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.