November 29
- Florida Keys History Center
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
1887 – The Spanish language newspaper El Yara began publication in Key West.
1897 – Extremely high tides on Key Largo destroyed thousands of tomato plants and other winter vegetables on the upper Keys.
1916 – The British steamer Sowell arrived at Sand Key with the crew of the American schooner Rena A. Murphy, who were saved after they abandoned their waterlogged vessel 25 miles northwest of the Dry Tortugas. Motorboats were later used to carry the rescued men to Key West.
1937 – The former United States Biological Station at the eastern end of Key West was sold to Julian Marks, who renamed the property Casa Roma.
1985 – Divers for Mel Fisher’s Treasure Salvors brought in over 200 South American emeralds from the wreck of the 1622 galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. The precious gems were a surprise discovery, as they were not listed on the ship’s manifest.
2010 – The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary announced a ban on the discharge of sewage in its federal waters, expanding on the existing ban in state waters. There were 36 sewage pump-out stations in the Keys, three of them mobile, to help boaters comply with the law.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The boathouse, pool, and garden at Casa Roma on Key West's eastern end, ca. 1940. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
