1839 – The barque Mary Ballard , sailing from Boston to New Orleans with a cargo of ice and salt fish, wrecked on Carysfort Reef. The...

1922 – Twenty-five aliens were arrested at Marathon for trying to enter the country illegally. The party – one Greek, four Chinese, and...

1853 – The USS Cyane arrived at Key West from Havana so the crew could have some leisure time, as smallpox in Cuba had prevented them...

1832 – The Jackson Hotel at Key West was destroyed by fire, an uninsured loss of $7,000. Residents feared the Custom House, and even the...

1883 – E.G. Chesley wrote from Key West that pineapple farming was “rapidly extending throughout Monroe County.” He noted that 300 acres...

1884 – A correspondent for the Jacksonville Times-Union wrote, “A vast amount of fruit is arriving in the Key West market from the...

1897 – Extremely high tides on Key Largo destroyed thousands of tomato plants and other winter vegetables on the upper Keys. 1920 – The...

1836 – The Rev. Robert Dyce, Episcopal missionary at Key West wrote, “…there is a general desire in this place to be informed on...

1899 – Annie Fay, a White woman, and Will Harrison, a Black man, were convicted in the criminal court at Key West for having married....

1823 – The schooner USS Alligator ran aground at “Carysford Reef.” The crew tried for three days to refloat the vessel by jettisoning...

1822 – Captain John Fiveash established the first U.S. settlement at Key Vaca (Marathon). It was at the west end of the island, and they...

1831 – Wm. A. Whitehead, Collector of Customs at Key West, reported to Washington about Cuban fishing camps at Charlotte Harbor in...

1864 – Two sailors from the barque New York deserted at the Dry Tortugas.  1922 – A special 14-car train carrying racehorses from...

In 188, Dr. Lemuel Walter Livingston became principal of Key West's Douglass School - and the island's first Black physician.

1839 – The lightship Key West was returned to its station at the Northwest Channel passage after having undergone repairs. 1923 –...

1862 – Rear Admiral Chas. Wilkes of the West India Squadron ordered the U.S. steamer Santiago de Cuba to sail from Havana to Key West to...

1823 – Capt. Robert Davis of the steamboat Natchez wrote of his travels along the reef, “Sombrero Key is washed away, and nothing...

1862 – A correspondent for the New York Herald wrote, “Business at Key West is brisk, and money seems to be plenty. Since our arrival...

1822 – Captains Joshua Appleby and John Fiveash advertised their schooners Polly and Comet as available to carry freight and...

1860 – William C. Greene died at the Dry Tortugas. He served as mayor of Key West from 1839 to 1840. 1899 – There were two new cases of...