December 19

The sinking of the freighter Eagle (formerly the Aaron K) as an artificial reef off Islamorada on December 19, 1985.

1832 – John William Charles Fleeming, one of the four original owners of Key West, died and was buried in the island’s St. Paul’s churchyard.

1898 – At a meeting of the Key West Fire Department Board a “fire police” department was organized. The fire police were to be used to control crowds at fire scenes.

1925 – The Florida East Coast Railroad announced that an extra train would run from Palm Beach to Key West during the winter season, arriving on the island Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 5 p.m.

1927 – Key West Airport was designated a U.S. port of entry.

1935 – Margaret Bourke-White, a pioneering photojournalist and assistant editor of Fortune magazine, arrived in Key West by plane from Miami. She planned to stay on the island for a few days and would spend some of her time fishing with friends Ernest and Pauline Hemingway.

1985 – The 297-foot ocean freighter Eagle was sunk as an artificial reef in 100 feet of water off Islamorada. The project was sponsored by the Florida Keys Artificial Reef Association and the Keys Association of Dive Operators.

1998 – Mel Fisher, renowned treasure hunter and Florida Keys icon, died in his Key Haven home at age 76. Fisher spent 16 years searching for the “mother lode” of the Spanish galleon Nuestro Señora de Atocha, which ended successfully in 1985. During that time, he had to overcome government regulations, lawsuits, weather, and the loss of his son and other crew.

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

Image: The sinking of the freighter Eagle (formerly the Aaron K) as an artificial reef off Islamorada on December 19, 1985. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.