Today in Keys History – April 20, 2024
1865 – Word reached Key West that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to General U.S. Grant on April 9, virtually ending the Civil War. There was a great celebration, and the Army fired a 100-gun salute.
1927 – A large crowd welcomed General Gerardo Machado y Morles, President of Cuba, to Key West. The President arrived on the steamer Governor Cobb and was met at the pier by Mayor Leslie Curry and other officials. After a reception at the La Concha Hotel, the President and his party boarded a private train car for a trip to Washington.
1930 – Visitors to the Keys reported being told in other cities that the Overseas Highway was difficult to traverse, ferry service was prohibitively expensive, and that there was “nothing to see after one gets there.”
1982 – Tourism businesses in the Keys claimed that the roadblock established by the U.S. Border Patrol to check the citizenship of everyone leaving the Florida Keys had frightened away legitimate traffic to the Keys.
1994 – The Monroe County Commission approved a design for the new Key West airport that was labelled by many as too “Disneyesque.” Some residents argued for an “Old Town Conch” design, but commissioners felt altering plans would be too expensive.
2014 – The Top bar at the La Concha hotel closed. With its unparalleled panoramic views of Key West, he rooftop location had long been popular with both locals and tourists. The location was slated for conversion to a luxury spa.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Key West Airport ca. 1990. Dale McDonald Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.