1830 – William R. Hackley recorded in his diary: Reading law. Wrote to Father and filed away all the letters received this year. Gave Oliver O’Hara a certificate of my opinion of the incapacity of Henry W. Fontaine to fulfill the duties of presiding Justice of Monroe County Court which appointment he now holds. About 8 A.M. the wind chopped suddenly round to the northwest and blows fresh as the it wishes to dismiss the year in a flurry. It is four years this day since first placed my foot on Florida and though at first much pleased with the country yet every year had caused me to like it more and more and it is at presently my determination to make it the place of my permanent abode although not this spot of it in which I am at present sojourned. Toward night it became quite cool. Played whist at the Collector’s till 10. The bookbinder having made the mistake of placing the titles on the back of this volume I commenced it upside down and several days having elapsed before I discovered it I was forced to continue it until the end of the year when I contemplate having the pages I have written on in this volume removed to the first one I used when I commenced keeping a diary by which means also the use of the volumes may be enlarged as at present they are rather small to be convenient. The thermometer stands in the evening at 60 degrees.
1899 – J. Vining Harris held an open house in his new home at the ocean end of Duval Street. The house was almost complete and the family expected to move in very soon.
1920 – The Casa Marina Hotel opened for its first season. It was owned by the Florida East Coast Hotel Company which was part of the Flagler system that also owned the Florida East Coast Railroad.
1931 – The USS Constitution – “Old Ironsides” – the oldest ship in the Navy – was welcomed to Key West by a crowd of more than 600 who witnessed her moor at Porter Docks. Captain R.T. Menner, Commander of the Naval Base and Key West Mayor Leslie A. Curry welcomed the ship and crew to the city.
1933 – Mayor Leslie A. Curry died following an illness of about one month. He was first elected mayor in 1927 and had been re-elected three times.
1938 – The formal opening dinner and dance was held at the Casa Marina Hotel. The charge was $2.50 per person.
1942 – The Marine Hospital on the Naval Station closed. The hospital opened in 1845 and was primarily for the treatment of merchant marine sailors. After World War I, the hospital also served as a veterans hospital. It was manned by personnel of the U.S. Public Health Service. During the Civil War, the Naval Hospital was located in the same building.
1956 – Mamie Eisenhower arrived in Key West to spend the holiday with the President.
2022 – The final edition of this column filed by Monroe County Historian Emeritus Tom Hambright was published. Tom and his late wife, Lynda, started the column in 1998 as “Key West 100 Years Ago Today” to mark the centennial of the Spanish-American War. The column proved so popular that they continued and added to it, using photos from the Monroe County Public Library’s online image archive. Hambright’s work will continue to appear in the column as it is expanded and adapted by Dr. Corey Malcom, lead historian at the Florida Keys History Center. We thank Tom for his 35-plus years of dedicated service to preserving and sharing the history of Monroe County. His work will continue to serve historians and the public for generations.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, Florida Keys History Center, Monroe County Public Library.
Images: The Southernmost House, 1400 Duval St., home of J. Vining Harris, circa 1900. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Tom Hambright in the Florida Keys History Center of the Monroe County Public Library in 1987. Photo by Richard Watherwax.
Admiral J.L. Holloway III left and Tom Hambright fishing off Key West September 1975. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Aide to Admiral Maurer and LCDR Thomas Hambright in 1974. Photo by Donnie Williams. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Capt J.E. McCardell, C.O. NAS, left and LCDR Tom Hambright, Security Officer NAS, in June 1978. U.S. Navy photo. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Tom Hambright honored for his 30 years of service at the Feb.10, 2016 Board of County Commissioners Meeting in Key West. Monroe County BOCC.
Layton Rice and Tom Hambright at Old City Hall on January 5, 2016. In honor of Tom’s 30 years of service, City Commissioners declared the date “Tom Hambright Day.” Photo by Rob O’Neal. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.