Today in Keys History – September 1, 2024
- Keys History Center
- Aug 31, 2024
- 2 min read
1837 – The passengers and crew of the schooner Sarah Ann, wrecked at Sombrero Key while sailing from Charleston to Mobile, were rescued and brought to Key West. For three days they had survived on a small quantity of rice saturated with saltwater. Medical aid and clothing were provided at Key West.
1862 – Yellow fever had raged at Key West during August, killing 20 members of the 90th New York Regiment. Another 27 men died in the Marine Hospital.
1924 – Marie Jane Pinder, familiarly known as “Aunt Jennie,” died at the age of 112 years. She had made her home in Key West for the past 70 years.
1931 – Key West firemen walked off the job, leaving firehouse number 1 with only Chief Pinder working. The fireman walked out because they had not been paid, and the City Commission could not tell them when they might be. Firehouse number 2, which was funded by the county, was still manned.
1959 – The Monroe County Commission voted to ask the State Road Department to allocate $25,000 for a survey to determine the feasibility of the construction of a highway from Big Pine Key to Cape Sable on the southwest coast of Florida.
1994 – The Ocean World theme park of Fort Lauderdale sought permission to transfer dolphins caught in the Florida Keys to a tourist facility in Honduras. Russ Rector of the Dolphin Freedom Foundation vowed to organize a boycott of Honduras unless the dolphins were returned to their native waters.
1999 – Key West High School’s annual Spirit Week bonfire was cancelled after excessively violent incidents occurred between Junior and Senior class members in the lead-up to the event.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Aerial view of Key West High School. Taken on September 1, 1999, by Ty Symroski and Wendy Tucker. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.