April 21
- Florida Keys History Center
- Apr 20
- 2 min read
1865 – Word reached Key West about the death of President Abraham Lincoln in Washington on April 15. All flags were at half-mast and Fort Taylor fired a gun every half-hour.
1901 – The schooners Harris Bros. and the Queen collided near Key Largo and the former sank. The night was extremely dark and neither boat had a light. The Queen struck the Harris Bros. just aft of the fore rigging, causing damage to itself and sinking the Harris Bros.
1926 – Propositions for the construction of a waterline from the mainland to Key West were opened by the Monroe County Water Supply Board. One bidder promised that water would be delivered to Key Largo in 90 days after the issuance of a contract, and available in Key West within a year.
1952 – The Key West Players at the Barn Theater opened a show of five one-act dramas by Key West resident Tennessee Williams. Williams supervised all plays and personally directed “Mooney’s Kid Don’t Cry.”
1956 – A sign designating Key West as a bird sanctuary was placed by the Audubon Society at the traffic triangle entrance to the island. A city ordinance declared that “to hunt, trap or destroy any bird life in these limits is a legal offense, subject to fine or imprisonment.”
1976 – Florida Keys Memorial Hospital suspended admitting privileges to doctors who had medical records that were incomplete for more than 15 days, and some patients were being denied the service of their attending physicians under the new policy. Of the hospital’s 34 doctors, 15 were affected by the new rule.
1982 – A group of locals led by attorney David Paul Horan filed suit in federal court in Miami to have the U.S. Border Patrol’s roadblock at Florida City removed.
2006 – Islamorada’s Holiday Isle Resort was purchased by the Ceebraid Signal Corp. of West Palm Beach for $98.25 million. The popular 151-room resort had a 57-slip marina, six bars, three restaurants, and a suite of shops. The new owners promised there would be no changes for several months.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Aerial view of the Holiday Isle Resort on Windley Key. Photo taken by the federal government on October 7, 1987. From the Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
