1906 – Key West cigar manufacturer Walter S. Lightbourn died in Batabanó, Cuba.
1940 – A fighter plane attached to the U.S. Destroyer Noa was engaged in bombing practice in Key West Harbor. From a height of 2,000 feet, the plane would dive down to 200 feet and drop miniature bombs on Sand Island off the Porter Docks.
1945 – A mass meeting of Key West’s evangelical churches was held at the Baptist Church on Eaton Street. The “Prayer and Praise” service was organized to give thanks for victory over Japan and Germany.
1952 – Key West Policeman Bienvenido Perez claimed to be the last surviving man of the three who buried Elena Hoyos. Hoyos’ body had earlier been exhumed by an obsessed Karl Tanzler, who lived with her body for many years before being discovered. Perez said she was buried in an unmarked grave in the Key West Cemetery, and he would never reveal its location.
1978 – David Wolkowsky bought the Kress Building at 500 Duval Street from Norman Artman for $210,000.
1994 – State and federal emergency management agencies presented plans for a possible massive migration of Cuban refugees into the Florida Keys, but local officials felt it was too general. Key West Mayor Dennis Wardlow complained it was a briefing “that didn’t say anything.”
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Postcard of First Baptist Church, 524 Eaton Street, Key West, FL. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.