June 30

An advertisement for the Sponge Farm at Chase, Florida on Sugarloaf Key, 1916.

1838 – The Key West Custom House issued a notice to mariners: “The Light Vessel at the NW Bar of this harbor has been placed at her moorings. She lies about 8 miles from Key West, at the junction of the N and NW channels, so as to serve as a guide to vessels entering either.”

1915 – A group of Key Westers took the railroad to Sugarloaf Key for a tour of the Chase sponge farm. Some of the old spongers in the group said, “they did not think such things could be done by artificial raising of sponges.”

1958 – Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies and a team from the Navy were searching for a man who fell asleep while fishing from the Bow Channel Viaduct and dropped into the water. A fellow fisherman tried to get a rope to the man but lost sight of him. The accident happened at 3:15 a.m.

1970 – Key West based Destroyer Division 601 was disestablished and the ships were transferred to Destroyer Squadron 18 which moved to Key West.

1981 – Large sponge beds were found in shallow waters between Marathon and Big Pine Key, renewing hope that harvesting sponge might be a commercially viable Florida Keys industry again. Sponges in the Keys had been largely wiped out by blight in the 1930s and 40s.

1981 – Senator Lawton Chiles dedicated the reconditioned cutters Ute and Lipan in ceremonies at the Coast Guard Station Key West.

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

Image: An advertisement for the Sponge Farm at Chase, Florida on Sugarloaf Key, 1916. Scott De Wolfe Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.