Today in Keys History – September 28, 2024
- Keys History Center
- Sep 27, 2024
- 2 min read
1912 – While driving a Key West Gas Company truck down Fleming Street, Maitland Knowles was struck in the eye by a rock thrown by a boy, and doctors feared he would lose his sight.
1915 – Two stowaways from Havana were found sealed in a boxcar that arrived in Key West via the Flagler System ferry. The men were being held in the Monroe County jail, pending a decision on their fate by immigration officials.
1929 – A category 3 hurricane passed over Key Largo. The lowest barometer reading recorded in the Keys was 27.99. Damage was slight as there was only a small population in the Upper Keys.
1955 – Two Navy airmen escaped injury when a small but violent tornado struck Boca Chica Naval Air Station, tore two blimps from their moorings, and blew them a half a mile into the mangroves with the men inside. Both airships were badly damaged.
1999 – The New York Times featured a half-page article titled “Paradise in Trouble,” which explored the environmental and social stresses brought by tourism to the Florida Keys. The piece was the latest in a spate of negative national media attention about the Keys published throughout the summer.
2004 – In an effort to crack down on panhandlers posing as street musicians, the city of Key West was exploring ways to limit the number of performers based on their talent.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Four Blimps (LTA) at the Naval Air Station Boca Chica on January 10, 1951. U.S. Navy photo. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.