1734 – The ship Charles, sailing from Jamaica to Bristol, was approached at the Florida Keys by a Spanish vessel, whose crew offered to trade “rich commodities” if the Englishmen came ashore. The captain allowed two men to do so, but after 24 hours they failed to return, so the Charles sailed and left them behind. It was supposed the two men had been robbed and killed by the Spaniards.
1823 – The port of Mobile reported that 14,900 feet of sawed lumber had been exported to Key West from there in the year ending September 30, 1822.
1906 – In response to reports that Greek divers were destroying the sponge beds, Governor N.B. Broward wrote the sheriffs of Monroe, Lee, Hillsborough and Levy counties instructing them to enforce Florida’s law which prohibited taking of sponges by dredges or diving.
1926 – The aquarium operated by the Key West Foundation Company opened for business at the eastern head of the island. The new facility, managed by Sam Roberts, featured “Jumbo,” a turtle he had raised, caged birds, and displays of the many types of fish found in Keys waters.
1928 – It was reported that Bert Russell of Matecumbe Key found Spanish pieces of eight dating to 1732 while digging in his lime grove. It was thought the coins might be lost pirate treasure.
1933 – The premiere of the film “Isles of Romance” was shown at the Strand Theater in Key West. The film was a travelogue showing the Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson. It was the first motion picture ever shot at the remote islands.
1941 – Two more arrests of women charged with vagrancy at the Alice Reid house brought the total of recent apprehensions there to seven. The residence at 1016 Howe Street in Key West was where Alice Thompson Tunks had been found strangled a month earlier.
1946 – Irwin Williamson announced he was resuming a search for the Spanish galleon Santa Rosa, supposedly sunk near Key West in 1521 with $30 million of Aztec treasure. Williamson claimed he had first found the wreck in 1941 and recovered the ship’s bell which bore the vessel’s name. Three times since, he had been stymied in his efforts by sharks, hurricanes, equipment failures, manta rays, and a fight with an octopus. Williamson’s current expedition was expected to take up to two months and would be documented by an MGM film crew.
1976 – Suspended Fire Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto, convicted in February on drug charges, was reported missing by his wife. He had left town in a rental car that was found in Miami but no trace was ever found of Farto.
1995 – “Arts for the Parks” a national competition sponsored by the National Park Foundation chose a painting of Fort Jefferson by Key West native George Carey to become part of the exhibition that toured the country.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The schooner City of Key West at the sponge docks. Photo by Harry Stanley in 1902. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.