January 22
- Florida Keys History Center
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
1831 – The new Collector of Customs, William A. Whitehead, arrived on the schooner Evan T. Ellicott, 58 days from Baltimore.
1912 – Henry Flagler arrived on the first train from the mainland to Key West, officially opening the Overseas Extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad. Mr. Flagler was welcomed to Key West by Mayor J.N. Fogarty, distinguished guests, and probably the largest crowd to ever have gathered on the island.
1926 – The La Concha Hotel was formally opened to the public. For entertainment, the San Sebastian Troubadours of Spain performed for the 175 Key Westers who dined on the hotel’s terrace.
1936 – Works Progress Administration movie crews filmed for a second day around Key West and the Lower Keys. Subjects included Key West Aquarium, Key West Art Gallery, Rest Beach, the sewer project, larvicide spraying, house restorations, and the writer’s cabins at Boca Chica.
1946 – A discussion of renaming Key West’s streets, led by the Lions Club and the Key West Citizen, was squelched by Monroe County Clerk Ross Sawyer, who pointed out that property descriptions and deeds would be thrown into confusion because they were based on existing street names.
1954 – Movie star Rita Hayworth and her husband Dick Haymes arrived for an indefinite stay at the Casa Marina Hotel.
1957 – Baseball’s Ted Williams, fishing with guide Jimmie Albright, had a Florida Keys fishing duel with golfer Sam Snead, who was fishing with guide Cecil Keith. Williams won the contest by catching two bonefish to Snead’s one.
1976 – Supervisor of Elections William “Billy” Freeman announced that the ballot in the presidential preference primary would be in both Spanish and English. Monroe County was one of seven Florida counties to fall under the Voting Rights Act, passed by Congress in 1975.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Arrival of the first Florida East Coast Railway Train at Key West on January 22, 1912. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
