September 29
1918 – A liberty boat returning to the USS Salem overturned and 18 men drowned. Eight bodies were recovered and buried in the Battleship Maine Plot in the Key West Cemetery. The Salem was flagship of the 12 submarine chasers based in Key West.
1938 – Charles F. Dupont died at age 77. He was the first African American to be elected sheriff in Florida after Reconstruction, when he was elected Monroe County Sheriff in 1888. Dupont served five years, until 1893.
1970 – In the Democratic primary election, Bill Carter of Marathon pulled off an upset and unseated Monroe County Mayor Gerald Saunders, who had served on the Monroe County Commission for 24 years. Other winners were Fred Tittle for state representative and Nathan Eden, county solicitor.
1976 – The YMCA Underwater Activities Training Center located on the Truman Annex property in Key West anticipated completing 15,000 training days for scuba divers during 1977.
1986 – Two groups were vying for control of the historic San Carlos building on Duval Street in Key West. A year earlier, Florida Governor Bob Graham had given the Cuban American National Foundation charge of the empty and deteriorating structure, but another group, the San Carlos Institute, claimed prior rights.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The San Carlos building at 516 Duval Street in May 1981, showing a lack of care. Photos by Jane Garner of the University of Texas. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
