Today in Keys History – April 18, 2024
1848 – At a meeting of the Key West Whigs, all were in support of Zachary Taylor. They also voted to approve Representative Edward C. Cabell’s support of Robert C. Winthrop as Speaker of the House.
1889 – The Spanish newspaper El Yara began publishing daily. The paper had been established in 1878 and was the official organ of Key West’s Cuban revolutionary clubs. J.D. Poyo was editor and owner, and F. Ibern was business manager. The office was at 210 Duval Street; subscription was $10 per year.
1943 – Fifty-six men who had been rescued by the U.S. Navy from a merchant ship that had been torpedoed in the Caribbean were brought to Key West. They were cared for at the Naval Receiving Station.
1945 – The 30-room North Beach Inn, at the corner of Petronia Street and Palm Avenue, was sold by George Smith for $47,500 to a group of 10 Key West investors. The building had originally been the home of John J. Philbrick.
1974 – The Key West Citizen published a lengthy article describing how treasure hunter Mel Fisher was being sued for $8 million by two financial institutions for using counterfeit Spanish colonial coins as collateral for loans. Five days later, the newspaper issued an apology to Fisher, saying they had been duped and the story was a hoax.
1982 – The U.S. Border Patrol established a roadblock at Florida City and began checking everyone leaving the Florida Keys for citizenship causing a traffic jam extending 15 miles. The Border Patrol had received information that illegal aliens were entering the country from the Keys.
1994 – As part of a project to elevate Card Sound Road, Monroe County created a series of 14 crocodile “condominiums.” The spots were designed as “ideal” habitat for the endangered reptiles and included engineered mixes of shallow and deeper water, mounds for egg-laying, and mangrove plantings.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: North Beach Inn, 711 Eisenhower Drive. Postcard made by Tichnor Bros., Boston. The DeWolfe and Wood Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.