1831 – The ship Maria, sailing from Philadelphia to New Orleans with 230 Irish laborers for the New Orleans canal, wrecked at Carysfort Reef. The ship was lost, but the crew and passengers were saved and taken to Key West. There, most of the throng of refugees were housed in 20 tents pitched near the docks; others were taken into the homes of some of the island’s 550 residents.
1855 – The ship Concordia, sailing from Mobile to Liverpool with 2,200 bales of cotton, caught on fire and was grounded at Duck Key. The crew made it ashore, and wreckers were able to save 900 of the cotton bales.
1899 – The nearly three-month long yellow fever outbreak was over, and Dr. J.Y. Porter lifted the quarantine against Key West. Everything but household goods could now leave the island city.
1923 – Captain Joe Russell launched his new, twin-screw motorboat, which he intended to use in the pleasure fishing business at Key West. The new, 39-foot vessel was equipped with two 20-horsepower Kermath engines.
1933 – The Civil Works Administration announced new projects at Key West, including improvements at the Armory, Fort Taylor, and Sea Coast Defenses, employing 72 people.
1951 – The Coral Shores School on Plantation Key was formally dedicated by Horace O’Bryant, Superintendent of Schools. The guest speaker was Captain George R. Rawlins, U.S. Army, Retired. School Principal Charles C. Albury was master of ceremonies.
1987 – Two rare, rough-toothed dolphins were released in deep water off Key Largo, after a brief rehabilitation. The pair had been trapped in a local canal after Hurricane Floyd.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Coral Shores School dedication in 1951. Seated on the left Horace O’Bryant. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Library Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center