Today in Keys History – July 26, 2024
1856 – The U.S. sloop-of-war Cyane arrived at Key West from Aspinwall, intending to stay for weeks. That intention was abandoned when it was learned that sickness was prevalent on the island. Cyane weighed anchor and departed the next morning.
1860 – Fernando J. Moreno, the U.S. Marshal at Key West, submitted a report to the Secretary of the Interior about the Africans delivered to him by the U.S. Navy. He reported he had received a total of 1,432 Africans and that 294 had died and were buried in Key West. The remaining 1,138 Africans were shipped to Liberia, West Africa, by the American Colonization Society. When stopped by the Navy, the Africans were being shipped to Cuba to be sold into slavery in violation of International Law.
1865 – A visitor arriving at Key West wrote, “The view as you approach Key West is decidedly tropical. Tall cocoa nut trees wave their graceful plumes; dark fir trees fill in the background. Little boys of mixed races were diving and swimming in the water as though it were their native element.”
1913 – Key West Police Chief Cates declared that he would not allow women to wear the new “see more” skirts on the island. Chief Cates also said he was unsure if he would permit a reproduction of the painting “September Morn” by French artist Paul Chabas to be displayed in the city “until I have seen it.”
1974 – The charter boat Spook returned to Key West after Captain Earl Widener and mate Molly DeWitt were forced at gunpoint to sail to Cuba three days earlier by Clifford and Patricia McRary of Omaha. The hijackers were imprisoned in Havana.
1994 – Florida Governor Lawton Chiles and the Cabinet voted to buy 19 wooded properties totaling 175 acres between Marathon and Key Largo for $16 million. The land would become part of the “Tropical Flyways” and provide resting and breeding areas for multiple bird species.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The USS Gettysburg in Key West Harbor C 1868. The ship was the former Confederate Blockade Runner Margaret and Jessie. A glass slide from Haffenreffer Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.