1823 – Capt. Robert Davis of the steamboat Natchez wrote of his travels along the reef, “Sombrero Key is washed away, and nothing appears but rocks above and even with the water. I knew it when it was of considerable size, with trees on it.”
1873 – The Virginius, flying the American Flag, was captured by the Spanish off the southern coast of Cuba. The ship was carrying weapons and men for the Cuban rebels fighting the Spanish control of the Island. The Virginius was taken to Santiago, Cuba where the captain and crew were executed which almost led to war between the United States and Spain. The American Fleet was ordered to Key West to protect the country.
1922 – Newlyweds Lord Louis and Lady Edwina Mountbatten arrived in Key West for a honeymoon trip. They were guests of Capt. Crosley, Commanding Officer of the naval station.
1934 – The first 50 of an anticipated 300 World War I veterans arrived at Matecumbe Key to begin work for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration on a series of bridges for the Overseas Highway.
1946 – S.H. Kress announced that it would construct a two-story building adjoining its store on Duval Street at the corner of Fleming Street.
1950 – A crowd of a thousand lined the streets to view the Halloween parade that had about 500 costumed school children.
1955 – Monroe County shrimp production for 1954 was about 13 million pounds of heads-on shrimp with a dock side value of about $4 million.
1965 – A small craft advisory was in effect for the Florida Straits, but Cuban refugees continued to try to cross to the Florida Keys in unsafe boats. The Coast Guard reported one person was drowned, and five were missing and presumed drowned.
1998 – The 20th annual Fantasy Fest parade drew a crowd of 60,000. Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky costumes were abundant.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Sombrero Reef Lighthouse. Gift Love Dean. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.