Today in Keys History – July 13, 2024
- Keys History Center
- Jul 12, 2024
- 2 min read
1832 – The owners of the British bark Glasgow that had gone aground at “Collins’ Point” on the Florida Reef with 1,099 bales of cotton were ordered to pay William Whitehead and John S. Simonds $9,625 for having recovered the cargo and the vessel.
1863 – The tug Rainey of Key West went to Sand Key to pick up mail but returned with only a sailor who had deserted from a Havana-bound schooner after being maltreated. “Sand Key is a very small island, having an iron lighthouse with a revolving light; three families living in the lighthouse…,” it was noted.
1924 – The Key West Regulars baseball team joined forces with the local Liberty Club to take on the visiting squad from the U.S.S. Rochester. The Key Westers, led by pitcher Bobby Lewis, handily defeated the Rochester’s sailors 7 to 1 with their excellent playing.
1934 – The boulevard fringing much of Key West’s northern, eastern, and southern shores was named Roosevelt Boulevard, in honor of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
1942 – The merchant vessel Andrew Jackson was sunk 72 miles east of Havana by the German submarine U-84.
1984 – The Monroe County Commission renamed three buildings at its meeting in Key West. The Key West Library was renamed Monroe County May Hill Russell Library, the Marathon Library was renamed the George Dolezal Branch Library, and the West Martello was renamed West Martello Joe Allen Garden Center.
1993 — Katherine “K” Wilkinson was selected by the American Cancer Society to receive the 1993 Florida Distinguished Service Award for her diligent volunteer service to the society.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Aerial view of North Roosevelt Boulevard, ca. 1940s. Photo by Faraldo’s Flying Service from the Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
