1845 – The American schooner Gleaner arrived at Key West with 300 barrels of flour but left a short while later, followed by a Spanish schooner. Capt. Rogers of the revenue cutter Legare grew suspicious and followed the two vessels. They were found to be transferring the flour to the Spanish schooner outside of port and in violation of revenue laws. Both captains were fined.
1924 – Several thousand people attended the formal opening of Bayview Park in Key West. Mayor Frank Ladd was the main speaker for the event, and the Water Lillies Club raised a flagpole and provided a banner bearing the words “Bayview Park.”
1924 – Deputy U.S. Marshal Andrew Lopez destroyed 1,100 quarts of “high-grade” liquor at the federal building in Key West. The illegal booze had been seized from the rum-running schooner Thirtie.
1940 – Thelma Strabel, author of “Reap the Wild Wind,” the story of Key West wreckers, took out a building permit for $12,000 to construct a house at 400 South Street.
1980 — A task force of business leaders was formed to combat the unfavorable press coverage of the Mariel Boatlift. Merchants reports that business was down between 25 and 50 per cent over the last year.
1989 – U.S. 1 Radio on Big Pine Key received a letter from a group of young listeners in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. The teens said they liked the “good musical mix” and used the broadcasts to learn English. They requested photos of the station’s on-air personalities and invited correspondence from Keys residents.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Members of the Rotary Club at the ground-breaking ceremony for Bayview Park, early 1920s. In the photo, in order, are George A.T. Roberts, George V. Perpall, Clifford Hicks, George Knowles, Sebastian Cabrera Jr., Dr. J.M. Renedo, Dr. William R. Warren, Dr. J.Y. Porter Jr., Charles Ketchum, J. Frank Johnson, Henry Thompson, Warren Watrous, B.C. Moreno, George Waite, L. Russell Warner, W.L. Bates, William H. Maloney, Dr. Cornelius Kemp, and L.G. Lewis. Dewey Riggs Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.