November 27

Stock Island Race Track ca. 1950

1899 – Dr. J.Y. Porter, State Health Officer, lifted the yellow fever quarantine in Key West and the rest of the state, except Miami where a few cases still existed.

1954 – An era in Key West history ended when the Ella Collins was beached and abandoned. The 26-foot boat was the last of the sponging fleet that once numbered more than 100 vessels. The Ella Collins was built in 1902 by William Henry Sands of Big Pine Key who used native dogwood and yellow pine. Captain Nelson Spencer, 75, had bought the vessel from the builder for $400.

1955 – An eight-event race card was topped by a 30-lap feature race at the new Stock Island Speedway. Over 1,500 fans were on hand to watch drivers from the Key West Stock Car Association compete with rival racers from Miami.

1976 – The Old Town Trolley sightseeing operation was sold to the Old Town Key West Development Ltd., of which Ed Swift and Chris Belland were the two general partners.

2005 – Employees, patrons, and nearby businessowners were left to wonder what would come next after West Palm Beach developers announced plans to buy Islamorada’s popular Holiday Isle resort and turn it into an upscale hotel condominium complex.

2010 – Biologists from the Disney Animal Kingdom Animal Programs Administration released 13 captively bred Key Largo woodrats into the tropical hardwood hammocks of North Key Largo. The release was part of an eight-year effort by the organization to aid the endangered creatures.

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Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: Stock Island Race Track ca. 1950. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.