1871 – The ship I. James of Maine, sailing from Cardiff to New Orleans, wrecked on Conch Reef with a cargo of railroad iron.
1922 – The schooner Majestic arrived from Grand Cayman with a cargo of green turtles for the Key West Turtle Canning Factory.
1926 – The Hotel La Concha was leased to the Foor Hotel Company of Richmond, Virginia. The new manager, O.W. Donnel, was expected to arrive within days.
1927 – The Monroe County, the first of the ferries to be used for the water gap in the first Overseas Highway, was launched in Jacksonville.
1937 – A group of young vandals set a coconut tree on fire in Bayview Park and smeared rotten fruit and “other matter” on the new José Martí monument. The same group was said to have been gambling in the park over many previous evenings.
1970 – The Key West City Commission resolved that Cozumel, Mexico, was the island’s sister city. Commissioner Jose Menendez suggested renaming Poinciana Park to Cozumel Park in honor of the occasion.
2008 – Due to the year-long economic down-turn, Florida Keys marinas were struggling to fill slips. Many were on the verge of bankruptcy.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The highway ferry Monroe County, circa 1928-1935. Monroe County Library Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center