March 15
- Florida Keys History Center
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
1900 – The unveiling of a monument dedicated to the heroes of the Battleship Maine, who died in Havana on February 15, 1898, was held in the Key West City Cemetery. More than 10,000 people witnessed the event.
1903 – Secretary of the Navy William H. Moody arrived in Key West on the U.S. steamer Dolphin. Accompanying the Secretary was Postmaster-General Henry Clay Payne, Senator Eugene Hale, Representative George Foss and Judge James R. Dunbar.
1927 – Vice President Charles G. Dawes arrived in Key West via the Overseas Railroad. Later in the day, he sailed for Cuba on the steamer Governor Cobb.
1940 – R.C. Perky, developer of Sugarloaf Key, died in Miami.
1948 – Secretary of Defense James V. Forrestal and chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, plus other ranking military leaders, left Key West for Washington. During a weekend meeting at the Little White House, the group drafted the “Key West Accord,” which defined the roles and differences among the military branches.
1956 – Key West City Manager Victor Lang called for commissioners to discuss proposed capital improvements and their financing. Among the desired upgrades were additional beaches and parks, a city auditorium, a community center, a public library, a youth center, and another nine holes at the golf course.
1963 – Filming began on “Man In The Water,” a movie starring Mark Stevens. It was the first production of the locally owned Key West Film Company, which hoped to start regular film production in Key West.
1976 – With authorized campgrounds having plenty of vacancies, Monroe County Sheriff Robert Brown conducted a weekend crackdown on illegal campers in the Keys that resulted in 45 arrests. Most of the apprehensions were made in the Bahia Honda area.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Illegal camping on the Keys in the 1970s. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
