Today in Keys History – July 12, 2024
1906 – Miss Elaine Cassidy was voted the most popular young lady at a dance given at La Brisa in Key West, and she was presented with a set of gold mounted combs. Cecile O’Brien and Rose Schwartz were runners-up.
1914 – An excursion party of 350 people, including many former residents, arrived at Key West from Miami on the 8:30 train. They spent the day sightseeing and visiting family and friends, and after watching a baseball game between the Key West and Miami teams, left on the 7 p.m. train.
1924 – Antonio Goicoechea, ex-Minister of the Interior of Spain and acting as personal representative of King Alfonso XIII, stopped in Key West from Havana before heading to Washington, D.C. His mission was to bolster relations between the U.S. and Spain.
1945 – A plaque of polished brass was presented to William Curry Sons by the Florida State Chamber of Commerce recognizing the company for more than 100 years of business.
1966 – Ground was broken on Stock Island to begin construction on the seawater conversion plant. The plant designed by Westinghouse would produce 2.62 million gallons of fresh water per day from sea water.
1995 – The Monroe County Public Library branch on Big Pine Key opened.
1999 – The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary began a $944,000 reef restoration project at Looe Key, where the R/V Columbus Iselin had run aground five years earlier. Nearly 400 square meters of reef across four spurs were to be repaired.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: La Brisa at the ocean end of Simonton Street, Key West, ca. 1900. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.