1855 – The steamer St. Lawrence arrived at Key West from New York, and rumors began to spread that it carried supplies for Cuba’s anti-Spanish rebels. “Instead of ordnance stores and munitions of war, she brought to this half-starved town a goodly quantity of potatoes, barrels of flour, and other provisions,” wrote a correspondent.
1895 – An “immense” meeting of Cuban patriots was held in Key West. The Cuban war was discussed, money raised for the independence cause, and committees were appointed to take care of families whose men had gone to fight.
1906 – The Key West City Marshal raided a gambling establishment and seized a roulette wheel that was rigged so it could be stopped at any number the operator desired. “Such a device gives the player no choice to win, except when the operator wants to bait him,” said the officer.
1924 – Alfred Atchison, age 64, died in his home on Olivia Street. Atchison was known by the nickname “Bubba Smart” and was the last man to be called the “King of the Wreckers.”
1934 – Over 1,000 dilapidated books from the Key West High School library were being mended and recovered by women employed by the Civil Works Administration. “This has been a wonderful help to our students, as for the past several years there have been no funds for the replacement of library books,” said Professor Horace O’Bryant.
1969 –The National Society of the United States Daughters of 1812 placed markers on the graves of two veterans of the War of 1812, buried in the Key West Cemetery. The markers were placed on the graves of Thomas Romer who was born in Nassau, in 1783, and died in Key West on September 8, 1891, and Alexander Patterson who was born in Stonington, Connecticut, on August 31, 1791, and died in Key West on May 18, 1870.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Alfred “Bubba Smart” Atchison. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.