1822 – Excerpt from the Logbook of the U.S. Schooner Shark LCDR M.C. Perry commanding. Remarks, Thursday, September 19th At 7 P.M. being in the Lat. of St. Anthony, I deemed it imprudent to run during the Night, more especially as the weather was quite thick and hazy, therefore Hove Too for the Night, and at Day Light stood away to the Southward, but saw nothing of the Island. Lat. 16.33 N. Long. 26.05 W. On the Sick List 6. Expenditure of Water 63 Gallons, Remains on Board 2512 Gallons. Exp. Provisions 60 lbs. Beef, 36 lbs. Flour, 18 lbs. Raisins, 4 1/2 Gls. Spirits.
1911 – William Kerr, the leading architect/builder of Key West, died at age 75. Some of his major projects were the Monroe County Courthouse, Custom House and the First National Bank at the corner of Duval and Front streets.
1919 – The U.S. Navy Subchaser SC 203 found the wreckage of the Spanish passenger liner Valbanera on Half Moon Shoals. The liner was last sighted on Sept. 9 when it was turned away from Havana Harbor because of hurricane winds. No trace was ever found of the more than 300 passengers and crew of the ship.
1952 – Corporal Henry Carey, U.S. Army, was killed in action in Korea.
1979 – The County Commission named Kermit Lewin interim County Administrator to replace William E.P. Roberts who resigned after 18 months as the first administrator.
1982 – Monroe County Mayor George E. Dolezal dedicated the new Marathon Branch Library. Also on hand was former Key West Mayor Sonny McCoy who discovered the state money used to finance the project.
1993 – Earl Adams died at age 90. He had served on the Key West City Commission and was Clerk of Court from 1949 to 1973. He had been a reporter for the Miami Herald and Key West Citizen and for years wrote a Key West History column for the Citizen.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, Florida Keys History Center, Monroe County Public Library
Image: The Spanish steamer Valbanera, Florida Keys History Center, Monroe County Public Library. https://www.flickr.com/photos/keyslibraries/8751175596