Today in Keys History – March 21, 2024
1871 – The Santo Domingo Commission, including renowned African American statesman Frederick Douglass, arrived at Key West from Kingston on the USS Tennessee. The commission was organized to assess whether the annexation of the Dominican Republic to the United States was viable and beneficial.
1898 – Two unidentified bodies from the Battleship Maine were buried in the Maine Plot in the Key West City Cemetery.
1924 – During the early morning hours someone poisoned “Jerry,” the pet dog of Key West Fire Station No.1. The firemen worked for hours to save Jerry, but the dose he had been given was large, and he succumbed to its effects.
1950 – The U.S. Weather Bureau moved from the Naval Station to the Federal Building at the corner of Simonton and Caroline streets. The Bureau also had a station at the airport.
1970 – Bill Butler was named captain for the first-team Class A, All-State Basketball Team by the Florida Sports Writers Association.
1974 – Circuit Judge Harold Featherstone ruled the Greater Key West Citizens Association had “no legal standing” in their attempt to overturn the City Commission’s zoning of land for high-rise condominium use. The group sought the repeal of permits for a high-rise building on North Roosevelt Boulevard.
1989 – William A. Freeman Jr., former county commissioner, state representative and sheriff, died at age 59.
1991 – The Winn-Dixie Marketplace opened at the Overseas Market.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Frederick Douglass (L) and other members of the Santo Domingo Commission on USS Tennessee in Key West in 1871. Photo by O.B. Buell. Detail from a stereoview. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.