April 29
- Florida Keys History Center
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
1898 – The USS Panther arrived in Key West with a Marine Corps battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Huntington.
1905 – Marcy B. Darnall and Thomas T. Thompson consolidated two newspapers, The Citizen and the Inter-Ocean, and published their first issue of The Key West Citizen.
1939 – Movie star Gloria Swanson and a group of friends arrived on the yacht Vidou. They were guests of Mrs. Wallace Kirk who took them on a tour of the city. Miss Swanson lived in Key West as a little girl when her father was stationed at the Army Barracks.
1946 – Movie producer David O. Selznick and movie star Jennifer Jones were guests at the La Concha Hotel.
1946 – Capt. Ralph Spalding, head of the local Navy Public Works division, announced a new pump was in operation at Marathon that would boost the supply of water to Key West via the aqueduct by an additional 250,000 gallons per day.
1947 – Jack Dietz announced that a contract for $62,900 had been let to build the 28-room Blue Marlin Motel on Simonton Street in Key West.
1968 – The new bridge between Big Pine and No Name keys opened for traffic.
2006 – The owner of the Southernmost mansion in Key West was asking for a series of waivers to allow him to open the bar and pool to the public, and to possibly open a restaurant on the grounds. Restrictions on the commercial use of what had long been a family home had been agreed to with the city in 2001.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Blue Marlin Motel at 1314 Simonton St., Key West, ca. 1965. Filer Boyle Sub N-476, Tract 16 Sqr 2 Lot 5 & Pt Lot 3. Photo taken by the Property Appraisers office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
