March 10
- Florida Keys History Center
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
1852 – Carysfort Reef Lighthouse was first lighted.
1926 – Efrem Zimbalist, famous violinist, appeared in the auditorium of the Monroe County High School under the auspices of the Art Society.
1933 – Edmund H. Harvey was building a fishing lodge to be known as Sombrero Lodge on 51 acres he owned on Key Vaca.
1946 – Tensions were growing in Key West over the installation of parking meters after a young Marine was killed when he fell off his bicycle and hit his head on a new meter. Additionally, resident Wm. R. Porter sued the city, complaining the meters defaced the sidewalk, prevented ingress and egress to his property, and constituted an unfair and unwarranted tax.
1953 – City Electric’s power line to Big Pine Key was energized, bringing commercial power to the Lower Keys for the first time.
1955 – Dr. Frank Pinder, a Key West native, was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Law by Monrovia College, Liberia, West Africa. Dr. Pinder was the chief agriculturist for the U.S. Operation Mission in Liberia.
1967 – Monroe County dedicated sub-courthouses in Plantation Key, Marathon, and the courthouse annex in Key West. Florida’s Secretary of Agriculture was speaker at all three dedications, which started at 10 a.m. at Plantation Key, 2 p.m. at Marathon, and 4 p.m. in Key West.
1976 – A committee of 15 gathered for the organizational meeting of Key West’s upcoming Bicentennial celebration, a three-day birthday party for the nation they termed the “Big Bang.” Planned events included a big fireworks display, a “super” parade, and various contests and tournaments.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Meeting of the Key West Bicentennial Committee, March 1976. From left, sitting: Curry Blackwell, Tom Sawyer, David Alea, Ed Swift, Tim Green, Peggy Murphee and Donnie Williams. Back standing: Rose Maribona, Sandy Higgs, Linda Rogers, Larry Rogers, Unk, Ingrid Nielson and two unk. Photo by Ida Woodward Barron. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
