August 20

St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, September 1906.

1904 – The new St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church on Division Street (now Truman Avenue) in Key West was dedicated by the Rt. Rev. W.J. Kenny, D.D., Bishop of St. Augustine. Solemn high mass was led by Reverend Father A.B. Friend, and music for the event was provided by Ayala’s orchestra, accompanied by the grand organ.

1950 – Residents of Billygoat Alley petitioned the city of Key West to change the name to Hibiscus Lane. The request was approved by City Manager Dave King.

1954 – Two new cases of polio were reported in Key West, bringing the total for 1954 to 35 cases. The latest victim was a 34-year-old Navy wife who had the paralytic form of the disease. She was sent to Miami’s Variety Children’s Hospital for treatment.

1961 – Dominga Bermudez of 1019 Grinnell Street, born on December 20, 1866, and 94 years old, was the oldest native Key Wester on the island. All three of her children were still alive, the oldest being 77 years.

1976 – Jeanette Wade, a 26-year-old housewife and mother, was found brutally murdered in her Marathon home. Though he was never convicted of Wade’s murder, serial killer and rapist Anthony Joe LaRette Jr. later confessed to the crime.

---

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

Image: St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, September 1906. Photo by E. Lowe Pierce from the Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.