1909 – A man died of leprosy in a house on Virginia Street. The house and all contents were destroyed by fire under the direction of Fire Chief Fulford.
1927 – Authorities intercepted the Cuban schooner Coral near the American Shoal light with several aliens on board. The captain could not explain where the vessel was headed. The aliens – Spaniards, Russians, Italians, and Syrians – were taken to Key West for deportation.
1934 – Governor Gifford Pinchot of Pennsylvania was made an honorary life member of the Long Key Fishing Club. The Governor and his party spent several weeks fishing at the Club.
1946 – Registration of eligible voters was nearly 100 percent in Marathon, with 130 on the rolls, while Tavernier had 150 registered. Key West was lagging with only 1,813 qualified voters of a possible 5,500.
1952 – Two Key West shrimp fishermen, Mike Carr and Bert Simmons, were taken into custody and their boat impounded by Mexican authorities on charges of violating Mexico’s territorial rights. They had been fishing on the Campeche Banks and were caught up in an international dispute over the extent of Mexico’s territorial waters.
1955 – A mysterious fire razed the living quarters of the Caribbean Club on Key Largo killing Jo Selby of Miami.
1958 – The de Poo Hospital at 918 Southard St. was formally opened.
1960 – Mitchell Wolfson and family attended the formal opening and dedication of the Audubon House as Florida’s newest historical museum.
1965 – Tom Ewell, star of radio, stage and screen, was a guest of Mrs. Gordon Seagrove for a few days.
1967 – Key West Hand Print Fabrics opened their new building at the corner of Front and Simonton streets.
1986 – Principal Theresa Axford announced that Mary Immaculate High School would close at the end of the school year.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Caribbean Club on Key Largo after the fire and death of a woman on March 30, 1955. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.