March 24
- Florida Keys History Center
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
1822 – Mr. “Hemming” (Fleming) arrived from Mobile with workers and material to erect the first house on the island.
1902 – The Monroe County Commission awarded a construction contract for a new armory in Key West to Bruce and John T. Sawyer. The winning bid was $7,900, and the board allocated another $500 for additional improvements.
1913 – Mrs. Booker T. Washington addressed the women of Key West at the A.M.E. Zion Church.
1926 – Dr. John Roach Stratton delivered his second address in Key West in three days before a standing-room-only crowd at the First Baptist Church. His lecture, titled “Monkey Men and Monkey Morals,” tackled the “widely mooted” subject of evolution.
1932 – Lena Johnson, the first woman to hold elected office in Key West when she served on the City Commission from 1927-28, died on the island.
1963 – Eckwood Solomon Jr. of Key West graduated from the Philippine Military Academy, the first American to attend the institution. He finished first in his class and was presented his diploma by Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.
1976 – Jack Watson was presented with the Meritorious Service Award by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Watson, manager of the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key from 1954 to 1975, was known for his tough, no-nonsense approach toward protecting the endangered deer.
1993 – Key West resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey died at age 78. He had been in Key West since 1976, and he was considered by many to be the “elder statesman” of the island’s literary community.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Lena Johnson, 1870-1932, was the first woman to hold elective office in Monroe County. She served on the Key West City Commission 1927-1929. Photo by Rugen Studio from the Johnson Family Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
