Key Westers News Today

1858: During the night, 12 enslaved Key Westers escaped from the island by stealing the Sand Key lighthouse boat. Despite a large reward for their capture, they eluded all pursuit.

The colorful, mostly libertarian history of Key West

The colorful, mostly libertarian history of Key West, Florida.

1831: The 230 Irish laborers at Key West from the wrecked ship Maria were still restless, and they gathered at F.A. Browne’s wharf. Fights broke out within the group, and

1899: Annie Fay, a White woman, and Will Harrison, a Black man, were convicted in the criminal court at Key West for having married. She was sentenced to five years

1854: The brig L.W. Maxwell wrecked at Eastern Dry Rocks after having sprung a leak at sea. The vessel bilged and was full of water, and it was thought that

1865: Confederate scientific advisor Richard Sears McCulloh was captured at Cape Sable on mainland Monroe County. McCulloh, formerly a professor at Columbia University, had defected to the South in 1863.

1812: The schooner Olive, sailing from Boston to Havana, was wrecked in a gale at Key Largo. Wreckers from Nassau saved much of the cargo, which they carried to that

1869: One hundred and thirty-seven Cuban refugees fleeing Spanish oppression arrived at Key West.

In a town that prides itself on its rich military history, none have played a more important role in critical military campaigns in American history than the Black soldiers who