Today in Keys History – October 24, 2023
- Keys History Center
- Oct 23, 2023
- 2 min read
1899 – Since October 9, there had been 31 new cases of yellow fever and three deaths. Thirteen of those cases and two of the deaths came in the previous 24 hours.
1908 – Dr J.B. Maloney opened the Louise Maloney Hospital on Fleming Street next to the Key West Drug Company. This was the first civilian hospital on the island.
1917 – Maj. John L. Hughes, commanding officer of the Key West barracks, started a movement to have the Florida East Coast Railroad, the City of Key West, and the federal government join forces in bringing a supply of freshwater to the island via a pipe from the mainland.
1923 – William A. and Copeland C. Johnson were proprietors of the Over-Sea Hotel at 917 Fleming Street, Key West.
1953 – As more and more athletic teams from Miami high schools refused to travel to Key West because of numerous polio cases on the island, Conch supporters doubted the reason and said the Miami squads only feared defeat.
1981 – Debate ensued about the appropriateness of the now-annual Fantasy Fest parade, as the previous two festivals had seen much nudity amongst the revelers. Some urged its cancellation: “We consider Fantasy Fest nothing more than a revival of demonism,” said a local minister. But a parade organizer said, “It’s just marvelous publicity. Everyone will want to see a parade that has been banned.”
1989 – The 155-foot costal freighter Alec Owen Maitland ran aground on the reef in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary. The captain and first mate were interrogated, but they offered no explanation as to why the accident happened.
1991 – A Kmart store opened in Key West at the Key Plaza shopping center.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Over Sea Hotel at 919 Fleming Street business card. The DeWolfe and Wood Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
