June 13

Interior of the Bahia Honda railroad bridge, ca. 1936, after the tracks had been removed but before it was converted to highway.

1884 – Forty-year-old Carlos Recio was hanged at Key West. Recio had been sentenced to die for the murder of Valentin Uri, the result of an argument over a game of cards. Over 4,000 people watched the execution, which took place in the northeast corner of Jackson Square.

1925 – Key Wester Charles H. Ketchum resigned his post as Grand Dragon of the Florida Ku Klux Klan. Ketchum cited “the great demands of private interests and the increasing volume of Klan business,” as the reasons for his resignation.

1930 – New rates for Florida Motor Lines buses using the Oversea Highway ferry system were set at $3 per bus each way for eight months of the year, and $6 per trip for the other four months. Passengers were transported for free.

1936 – The Florida East Coast Railway company inquired to the Mallory Steamship Lines about moving 26,500 tons of rails, ties, and equipment, indicating it was preparing to remove the tracks of the Oversea Railroad.

1959 – Key West High School baseball star Boog Powell signed a contract to play professional baseball for the Baltimore Orioles.

1993 – The U.S. Navy Hydrofoil Squadron sailed from Key West for the last time.

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

Image: Interior of the Bahia Honda railroad bridge, ca. 1936, after the tracks had been removed but before it was converted to highway. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.