March 4
- Florida Keys History Center
- Mar 4
- 2 min read
1874 – Vice-President Francisco Vicente Aguilera and Secretary Hilario Cisneros of the Cuban Republic-in arms visited Key West to foster support for Cuba’s independence from Spain. They spoke at the San Carlos Institute, and a torchlight procession through the streets was held in their honor.
1906 – In response to reports that Greek divers were destroying Florida sponge beds, Governor N.B. Broward wrote the sheriffs of Monroe, Lee, Hillsborough, and Levy counties instructing them to enforce state law that prohibited taking of sponges by dredges or diving.
1946 – The U.S. Office of Price Administration showed two films in Key West’s Harris School Auditorium – “Hard Times or Prosperity” and “Story With Two Endings.” Both addressed how inflation took hold after WWI and how it could be avoided in the current post-war period.
1955 – Four-time Pulitzer Prize winning poet Robert Frost was on his regular annual visit to Key West, staying with his old friends Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Newton.
1967 – The Navy reported that the military personnel and dependents in Key West totaled 18,953. The military also employed an additional 2,006 civilian workers.
1976 – Suspended Key West Fire Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto, convicted in February on drug charges, was reported missing by his wife. He had left town in a rental car that was later recovered in Miami, but no trace was ever found of Farto.
1995 – “Arts for the Parks” a national competition sponsored by the National Park Foundation chose a painting of Fort Jefferson by Key West native George Carey to become part of the exhibition that toured the country.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A drawing of the first San Carlos Institute building (ca. 1871). From "Mis Recuerdos" by Juan Perez Rolo. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
