1854 – The brig L.W. Maxwell wrecked at Eastern Dry Rocks after having sprung a leak at sea. The vessel bilged and was full of water, and it was thought that only a portion of its cargo of mahogany would be saved.
1899 – Forty-seven new cases of yellow fever were reported at Key West in the past 24 hours, with two new deaths. Residents of other Keys were instituting a “shotgun quarantine” against all Key Westers by patrolling and placing signs on the water’s edge to warn sponge boats and other Key West vessels not to land.
1917 – A Navy report stated that the moral condition at Key West was greatly improved from a few months earlier. Though gambling and illegal liquor sales had not been fully eradicated, the inspector gave the city “an almost clean bill of health.”
1954 – Movie producer Hal Wallis announced that after searching through Europe, California, and the southern U.S., he had chosen Key West as the location for filming the adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo.”
1968 – Formal ceremonies consecrating the ground on United Street where the new B’nai Zion Synagogue was to be built were held by Rabbi Nathan Zwitman.
1976 – Governor Reuben Askew named Ervin Higgs Monroe County Property Appraiser after Joe Allen was elected state representative and resigned effective September 30. Higgs was unopposed in the Democratic primary for the office.
1994 – Key West’s “Good Will Ambassador” William “Bill” Kroll died at the age 89. He originated the Conch Tour Train, which began operating on January 18, 1958. He sold the train to Wometco Enterprises in 1972.
2003 – Key West police raided a sprawling homeless camp along the Bridle Path near Smathers Beach in an attempt to evict the residents. The action was quickly dubbed “a mistake,” as the camp’s existence was legal until the city provided an alternative space for people to sleep and shower.
2008 – The Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce was soliciting for a new city slogan. There was a feeling the existing slogan – “Marathon, the heart of the Florida Keys” – did not adequately portray the qualities of the community to potential visitors.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Conch Train on Front Street in front of office. Bill Kroll on the left in front of the train. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.