August 19

The John Lowe house at 620 Southard Street, Key West, in the 1930s.

1862 – Henry Crydenwise of the 90^th New York Regiment, stationed in Key West, wrote, “A large number have fallen victims to the fever. Among these are one of the best Captains in the regiment, then a number of privates and laborers…Several times a day the hearse may be seen bearing some one away to their final resting place.”

1917 – John Lowe Jr. died in Key West at the age of 84. He came to the island from the Bahamas when he was 15 years old and worked for William Curry. He later started his own business and became the island’s leading sponge dealer. His home at 620 Southard Street is one of the architectural treasures of Key West.

1936 – Over the previous month, the crawfish (spiny lobster) hatchery at the Key West Aquarium had placed 12 million crawfish hatchlings in the nearshore waters around Key West.

1941 – Gunners of the Coast Artillery Battery at Key West’s Fort Taylor were frustrated when the 8-inch hawser line linking their towed target to a high-speed Navy destroyer parted three times, preventing them from getting off a single shot.

1952 – The official population of Key West was 26,433, which did not include the estimated 12,000 Navy personnel and dependents.

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Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: The John Lowe house at 620 Southard Street, Key West, in the 1930s. From a collection of photographs taken by WPA workers. The Heritage House Collection; donated by the Campbell, Poirier, and Pound families. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.