July 19
- Florida Keys History Center
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
1923 – Rear Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee, U.S. Navy retired, died at his home in New York. He was captain of the Battleship Maine when it was destroyed in Havana in 1898, which resulted in the war with Spain.
1925 – General John J. Pershing arrived in Key West by train and transferred to the USS Rochester for a trip to South America via the Panama Canal.
1942 – The merchant vessel Baja California was sunk 42 miles northeast of the Dry Tortugas by the German submarine U-84.
1942 – The merchant vessel Port Antonio was sunk 95 miles of southwest of the Dry Tortugas by German U-129.
1966 – With many insurers leaving the Keys because of high risk, the Florida Insurance Commission approved a 50% hike in windstorm rates for Key West and a 100% increase for the rest of Monroe County. Local officials were expected to fight the changes.
1976 – The proprietors of Molina’s bakery at 1121 Margaret Street in Key West donated a 53-year-old bread oven to the Key West Art & Historical Society’s East Martello Museum for its Cuban culture section. After operating seven days a week since 1923, the tile and brick oven had produced millions of loaves of Cuban bread for hungry Key Westers.
1986 – Key West Mayor Tom Sawyer offered an optimistic vision for the increasing number of cruise ships that were slated to begin arriving at the island. “The cruise port industry is a good, clean industry, bringing in a lot of income with virtually no impact on city services,” he said.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Molina's Bakery, 1121 Margaret St., Key West, ca. 1965. KW Investment Co. Sub PB 1-49, Tract 12, Sqr 6, Lot 3. Photo taken by the Monroe County Property Appraiser's office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.