January 17
- Florida Keys History Center
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
1832 – In the previous year, 290 ships entered the port of Key West, with 172 from foreign ports and 118 from U.S. ports.
1928 – President Calvin and First Lady Grace Coolidge arrived in Key West on the cruiser Memphis from Havana. Mayor Leslie Curry gave them a tour of the Naval Station, Army Barracks, and Meacham Airport, followed by a ride along the Boulevard. Crowds lined the streets, and hundreds of schoolchildren assembled at Bayview Park to cheer the distinguished visitors.
1941 – The schooner A.M. Adams arrived at Key West from the Nicaraguan coast with a cargo of 440 green sea turtles. The turtles were placed in the kraals with others already there and would be on exhibition until rendered into soup.
1953 – The Navy dedicated the baseball field at Naval Station Key West as Walker Stadium in honor of Key Wester Sgt. Norris A. Walker, USMC, who was killed in combat at Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945.
1956 – Monroe County Judge Raymond Lord declared Conklyn Wells Meriwether insane and mentally incompetent for the murder of his in-laws at their Tavernier home. In November, Meriwether, a former professional baseball player, had killed Charles and Ellen Mills, his wife’s parents, with a hatchet.
1961 – The United States banned all tourist travel to Cuba. The loss of air and ship traffic from the Florida Keys to Cuba was expected to have an adverse impact on the Key West economy.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge disembarking the USS Memphis at Key West upon arrival from Cuba, January 17, 1928. Photo by ACME Newspictures. Gift Tim Grosscup. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
