August 21

The beach on the north side of Key West, adjacent to the Army Barracks, ca. 1900, before Trumbo Point was built.

1862 – With yellow fever raging in the Keys, Special Order No.31 was issued at the Dry Tortugas: “No more laborers, workmen, or other civilians coming from Key West, Fla., or other infected places, will be permitted to land at this post or at the quarantine grounds without an express leave of the Commanding officer…”

1900 – Several thousand Key Westers watched a quarter-mile race at Barracks Beach between the horses Laconda and Levin. Laconda won by a length. The bet was $1,000 per side, and much money passed hands outside of the official stakes.

1936 – City of Key West Tax Assessor Sam Pinder reported license revenue for the ’35-’36 year totaling $14,800.50 from occupational licenses, automobile license tags, and dog licenses.

1941 – The City of Key West agreed to lease its unused underground WPA water system to the Florida Keys Aqueduct Commission to help distribute freshwater delivered by pipe from Homestead. The agreement also included water storage tank and pumping station sites at Jackson Square and Palm Avenue.

1947 – Federal Judge John W. Holland sentenced Navy cook Joseph Watson to death in the electric chair for the murder of seaman Benjamin L. Hobbes. The murder occurred in Key West on the Navy destroyer USS Stribling on July 25, 1946.

1995 – Former President George H.W. Bush was in Islamorada for the Second Annual George Bush/Cheeca Lodge Bonefish Tournament.

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

Image: The beach on the north side of Key West, adjacent to the Army Barracks, ca. 1900, before Trumbo Point was built. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.