Today in Keys History – May 21, 2024
- Keys History Center
- May 20, 2024
- 2 min read
1847 – The ship General Jackson, sailing from New York to New Orleans, went ashore on a reef 15 miles from Key West. The ship bilged and its cargo of quicklime became wet, which started a fire that destroyed the vessel and its cargo.
1850 – The steamer Creole, carrying General Narciso Lopez and his rebel army fleeing the failed invasion of Spanish Cuba, entered the port of Key West. The Creole entered port only minutes ahead of the Spanish warship Pizarro, who had been chasing her since the invasion. At the dock, the Creole raised the American flag, and the Pizarro left the area without success.
1911 – Norberg Thompson began work on a building on Caroline Street to be used for the manufacture of cigar boxes. The boxes were used by the local cigar factories.
1966 – The Lighthouse Museum opened in the former lighthouse keeper’s quarters. The museum operated by the Key West Art & Historical Society featured the military history of the island.
1986 – Former Key West Fire Department Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto, who disappeared in February 1976 after he was convicted in a drug case, was declared legally dead in Circuit Court.
1994 – The Key West High School Conchs baseball team lost the state 3A championship game to Palmetto High School in a 7-6 heartbreaker.
1995 – Three people were killed when a speed boat rammed a dock near Plantation Key.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Key West Lighthouse keeper’s quarters at 938 Whitehead Street. The building was declared surplus by the military in 1960, with plans for it to be a museum. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
