Today in Keys History – March 28, 2024
1901 – Mrs. William Curry, widow of the late millionaire, died at age 72. She was born at Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas.
1949 – General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived at the Naval Station. The General had been ill with a reported stomach ailment and was treated at the Key West Naval Hospital.
1966 – The Lighthouse Military Museum opened in the lighthouse keeper’s quarters on Whitehead Street.
1974 – The new Federal Aviation Administration control tower was dedicated at Key West International Airport. The event was attended by FAA officials, county commissioners, military representatives, and George Faraldo, manager of the airport.
2000 – Key West diver and boat captain Joe Weatherby launched a fundraising campaign geared toward local businesses to help sink the 535-foot ship Hoyt S. Vandenberg. A site in 140 feet of water south of Key West had been selected and approved, but $2 million was needed to send the ship to the bottom.
2000 – Gulfstream Airlines agreed to a six-month contract to provide commercial passenger service between the Marathon and Miami airports.
2014 – The Florida Department of Transportation closed the Ohio-Missouri, Ohio-Bahia Honda, Missouri-Little Duck, and Lower Sugarloaf pedestrian bridges due to safety concerns. The aging bridges, once part of the Overseas Railroad, were popular with anglers.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Key West International Airport, control tower ca. 1975, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd. Photo taken by Property Appraiser’s office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.