Today in Keys History – January 17, 2024
- Keys History Center
- Jan 16, 2024
- 2 min read
1835 – An intense, 10-minute squall struck Key West from the northwest, “with greater force than had been felt here for many years.” A schooner was blown onto the beach and others were badly damaged.
1889 – According to one correspondent, Key West was in good order: “Business is booming. Every factory is working a full force. Money is plenty. The city is full of drummers (salesmen), and, best of all, the sanitary condition was never better.”
1893 – The steamship Olivette arrived at Key West from Havana with 68 bales of tobacco for Key West cigar manufacturers.
1933 – Calls placed to the Monroe County Sheriff’s office would now be answered at night via the number 13. The daytime number was still 239.
1926 – Work began on the construction of the “Key West Boulevard,” later named North and South Roosevelt Boulevards.
1928 – President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge returned from the sixth Inter-American Conference held in Havana on the cruiser Memphis. Mayor Leslie Curry gave them a tour of the Naval Station, Army Barracks, and Meacham Airport, followed by a ride along the Boulevard. Crowds lined the streets, and hundreds of schoolchildren assembled at Bayview Park to cheer the distinguished visitors.
1961 – The United States banned all tourist travel to Cuba. The loss of the air and ship traffic to Cuba had an adverse impact on the Key West economy. 1998 – Monroe County Commissioner Wilhelmina Harvey was chosen as Citizen of the Year in a vote conducted by The Key West Citizen.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: President Coolidge and party on the rear of the train in Key West on January 17, 1928. Gift of Dr. William R. Warren. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center
