October 21
- Florida Keys History Center
- Oct 20
- 2 min read
1914 – Livingston W. Bethel died in Key West at the age of 69. He had served as Mayor of Key West from 1877 to 1880. In 1880 he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Florida as running mate for Governor W.D. Bloxham. Later he served as United State District Attorney for the United States Court, Southern District of Florida, Criminal Court Judge, and Circuit Court Judge.
1925 – The Merritt-Chapman Wrecking Company announced that the steamship Lake Gunni had been successfully removed from a perilous position on the rocks near the Dry Tortugas. It was not clear if the damaged vessel would be towed to Key West or elsewhere for repairs.
1935 – Qualified Key Westers on the relief rolls were offered the opportunity to take a course in Workers Education at the University of Florida. Experience in business or industry was preferred, along with a “sympathetic attitude toward workers and the organized labor movement.”
1960 – Mrs. Edward Trevor of Stock Island was flown with her young son to Hollywood to appear on the television program “About Faces.” Trevor was to have an on-air reunion with her father, a former Navy man who had been stationed in Key West, and whom she had not seen in many years.
1962 – As tensions with Cuba increased, the FAA constructed a temporary control tower at Key West International Airport overnight. In addition, many military personnel arrived over the weekend.
1975 – Some 35,000 gallons of oil removed from Lower Keys beaches in July after a spill were being stored in tanks on Truman Annex in Key West. The Defense Supply Agency was hoping to sell the oil, which was mixed with water, sand, and seaweed.
2015 – Monroe County commissioners denied a permit for the Ragnar Relay race, citing severe traffic disruption by the event, which featured runners and their support crews making their way down the entirety of the Keys via U.S. 1. Residents had long complained about the annual race.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Key West International Airport in October 1962, when the control tower was being built. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
