October 27
- Florida Keys History Center
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
1923 – The United States Quarantine Station used the barge Wistaria anchored in the harbor for a disinfecting station. Acting Assistant Surgeon J.Y. Porter Jr. was in charge.
1935 – W.P. Craig announced he was building a wooden dock at the settlement of Craig, located on the railroad right-of-way between Lower Matecumbe Key and Long Key. The bayside structure was to extend out 73 feet and end in a 209-foot-long T-head.
1953 – Monroe County voters by a 6-1 majority defeated a bond issue for $14 million that would have been used to build a second water pipeline from Key West to the mainland.
1960 – “Bombs” of red paint were thrown at six Key West businesses in an attempt to brand the owners as Castro sympathizers. The local Christian Anti-Communist League denied responsibility.
1979 – The first Fantasy Fest parade, consisting of 26 floats, marched down Duval Street before a crowd estimated at 10,000. The winning float was “Bride of Dracula” sponsored by Fast Buck Freddie’s.
1998 – Former President George H.W. Bush was in the Keys for the fifth annual George Bush Cheeca Lodge Bonefish Tournament.
2015 – The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council announced the commercial harvest of yellowtail snapper would close two months early because the 1.6 million-pound annual catch limit had been reached. About 95 percent of the $36 million U.S. yellowtail harvest was from the Florida Keys.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Craig Key June 2, 1938. Photo by Romer from the Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
