1865 – Word reached Key West that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to General U.S. Grant on April 9, essentially ending the Civil...

1848 – At a meeting of the Key West Whigs, all were in support of Zachary Taylor. They also voted to approve Representative Edward C....

1835 – Alden A.M. Jackson was conducting a school in the Monroe County Courthouse. The costs were from $2 to $4 per month depending on...

1884 – President Chester Arthur recommended to the Senate that Colonel Frank N. Wicker, the collector of customs at Key West, be removed...

1826 – It was announced that the Light Ship at Carysfort Reef near Key Largo was soon to be lit. The vessel would “show two fixed...

1847 – The esteemed Key West coconut tree known as “Cocoa Nut” died, after having been damaged in the previous year’s hurricane. The...

1836 – Alden A.M. Jackson was named Postmaster of Key West. 1884 – A special agent of the Department of Justice arrived at Key West to...

1855 – The U.S. steamer Corwin , Lieut. T.A. Craven, commanding, was at Key Biscayne, engaged in a coastal survey headed by Professor...

1833 – Cholera was rampant at Key West, and people were fleeing the island. A correspondent wrote ”all the garrison except one officer...

1823 – Commodore David Porter ordered the U.S. flag raised over “Thompson’s Island” (Key West), and a battery was erected with eight...

1839 – Key West Superior Court judge Wm. Marvin awarded 10 percent of the value of the brig Black Hawk to the wreckers who salvaged it....

1886 – Still reeling from the devastating March 30 fire, the Relief Committee of Key West issued a plea to the nation, saying, “A large...

1832 – It was reported that Cuban fishermen at Key West had caught a thief and hung him from their mast without judge or jury....

1839 – The brig Arabian , sailing from Charleston to New Orleans, went ashore at the Tortugas with a cargo of rice, beans, and an untold...

1866 – Cholera was spreading at Key West, and at least 17 military personnel were down with the disease. 1917 – Dutch tobacco merchant...

1858 – Professor Louis Agassiz of Harvard University was at Key West continuing his multi-year examination of the Florida reef and...

1862 – The case of the ship S.R. Mallory , owned by Wm. Curry Sons of Key West, which wrecked on the Middle Key at the Tortugas, was...

1847 – Congress approved $12,000 to build a new lighthouse at Key West, and another $20,00 to install a new screw-pile lighthouse at...

1818 – The brig Sally , sailing from Rhode Island to Havana via Savannah, was wrecked on the Florida Reef. The crew and cargo were saved...

1890 – Workmen installed seats in the new First Baptist Church on Eaton Street. The original church was destroyed by the Great Fire of...