Today in Keys History – March 24, 2024
1822 – Mr. “Hemming” (Fleming) arrived from Mobile with workers and material to erect the first house on the island.
1831 – The French tri-color flag made its first-ever appearance in Key West when the brig Emma arrived from Havana. A matching banner was flown from P.C. Greene’s cupola, the citizens saluted, and there was a general display of colors from all the vessels in the port.
1889 – John J. Philbrick began the operation of Key West’s first electric lighting plant.
1913 – Mrs. Booker T. Washington addressed the women of the city at the A.M.E. Zion Church.
1932 – Lena Johnson, the first woman to hold elected office in Key West when she served on the city commission 1927-28, died in Key West.
1941 – Due to an increase in duties, Coast Guard officers closed their Front Street headquarters and the Key West lighthouse to all tourists and non-permitted visitors. Steel doors were installed, and any guests were required to have a Navy pass.
1955 – The newly formed Military Order of the World Wars held its first meeting at the Fort Taylor Officer’s Club.
1986 – A 170-foot translator tower at Sigsbee Park began to broadcast TV signals, which meant that Key West and Stock Island residents no longer had to rely on cable television to be connected to the outside world. Five Miami stations were available via the translator.
1993 – Key West resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey died at age 78. He was the elder statesman of the Key West writing community. Hersey had been a winter resident of Key West since 1976.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Key West Electric Company Plant at Fort and Angela streets. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.