March 27
- Florida Keys History Center
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
1827 – Commodore David Porter, formerly of the U.S. Navy and now in charge of the Mexican Navy, was in Key West with his new command and wrote, “My squadron is in fine order, well supplied, and in a most perfect state of discipline. I would not be ashamed to compare my vessels with any in the United States Navy.”
1898 – Eight bodies recovered from the sunken battleship Maine were buried in the USS Maine Plot in the Key West City Cemetery.
1929 – Fire destroyed the old Ruy Lopez Cigar Factory near the county road. Though the building had been vacant for several years, it was still estimated to have been worth $10,000.
1951 – First Lieutenant Clyde Stickney, Commanding Officer of the Key West National Guard, was notified that the unit would be called to active service in May. The 60-man unit was part of the 712th Anti-Aircraft Group.
1956 – The USS Nautilus, the Navy’s first nuclear-powered submarine, arrived in Key West. The large, 3,000-ton sub would be in the area until April 20 to conduct various tests and trials. A crowd of Navy personnel and civilians greeted the Nautilus as it tied up to Pier 1.
1985 – The Key West City Commission, after touring several proposed sites, chose Fleming Key as the most desirable for the planned sewer treatment plant.
1986 – The schooner Wolf was proclaimed the flagship of the Conch Republic by Monroe County Mayor Wilhelmina Harvey. “As flagship of the Conch Republic fleet, we’ve placed the ship at the service of the republic,” said Captain Finbar Gittelman, who proudly used only traditional methods to sail Wolf.
1999 – The U.S. Coast Guard launched a new buoy tender named in honor of Barbara Mabrity, one of Key West’s most famous lighthouse keepers. She took over as keeper of the Key West Lighthouse in 1832, after her husband died. She survived the hurricane of 1846, and remained at the station until 1864, retiring at age 82.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Captain Finbar Gittelman on the schooner Wolf on April 20, 1991. Photo by Nancy Klingener. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.