"Today in Florida History"
for May
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 1
1562 French
Huguenot leader Jean Ribault landed at the mouth of the St. John’s River
today. He and his followers were
seeking to establish a colony for French religious dissenters.
1863 Florida’
2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Regiment, and 8th Infantry Regiment,
assigned to the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, were part of the action
at Chancellorsville that started today and which would last until May 4th.
1864 The U.S.S. Fox captured the Confederate sloop Oscar
today in the Gulf of Mexico. The Oscar was bound from St. Mark’s to Havana.
1889 Hard
rock phosphate deposits were discovered today in Marion County.
1890 William
D. Bloxham assumed office as the Comptroller of Florida today.
1934 The
Miami jai-alai fronton, established in 1925, was reorganized today as the
Fronton Exhibition Company, Incorporated.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 2
1815 David
Shelby Walker, the eight governor of Florida (1865-1868), was born today in
Russellville, Kentucky. He died on
July 20, 1891. [For more
information, see entries for July 20 and December 20.]
1839 Lieutenant
William Hulbert of Company F, 6th United States Infantry, was killed in a
skirmish with Seminoles today near 14 Mile Creek, near Fort Frank Brooks.
1847 The
Pensacola Baptist Church, now the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, was
organized today.
1863 Florida’
2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Regiment, and 8th Infantry Regiment,
assigned to the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, were part of the action
at Chancellorsville.
1944 Singer
James Purify was born today in Pensacola.
1965 The
U.S. early Bird satellite, launched from Cape Canaveral, began broadcasting
transmissions from Europe to North America today.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 3
1862 The
Federal steamer, R. R. Cuyler,
captured the Confederate schooner Jane
about forty miles southwest of Tampa in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Jane was carrying a
cargo of pig lead.
1863 Florida’
2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Regiment, and 8th Infantry Regiment,
assigned to the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, were part of the action
at Chancellorsville.
1864 Some
eleven officers and forty-seven men off the Confederate ship,
C.S.S. Chattahoochee, today launched an expedition against Federal
forces operating around St. George’s Sound in Apalachicola Bay.
1865 Federal
troops were ordered to take possession of Key Biscayne today and to guard the
passes near the key in order to prevent any attempt by Confederate President
Jefferson Davis to escape to Cuba or the Bahamas.
1901 Jacksonville
was swept by a devastating fire today. More
than 600 acres of buildings in the center of the city were destroyed.
The loss was estimated at $15,000,000 in 1901 dollars.
1902 The
African-American actor Stepin’ Fetchit was born today in Key West.
1912 Bob
Fowler today successfully completed the first west-to-east transcontinental air
plane flight from Los Angeles to Jacksonville.
His time: four months.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 4
1863 Florida’
2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Regiment, and 8th Infantry Regiment,
assigned to the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, were part of the action
at Chancellorsville.
1864 The
Confederate detachment from the C.S.S.
Chattahoochee arrived at Chattahoochee early this morning and then
proceeded to Rico Bluff.
1872 The
administration of Samuel T. Day, Acting Governor of Florida during the
impeachment trial of Governor Harrison Reed, ended today.
The Florida Senate voted 10-7 to dismiss the charges brought against
Governor Reed.
1931 Winter
Park reincorporated as a city (originally incorporated in the 1880s).
1959 Howard
Van Smith, a journalist for the Miami
News, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize today for his stories on the
conditions of migrant workers in Immokalee.
1973 Donald
Segretti, the “dirty tricks” man for President Richard M. Nixon, was charged
with publishing fraudulent campaign documents in the 1972 Florida primary today.
1989 The
space shuttle, STS-30, was launched today from Cape Canaveral.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 5
1862 The
Florida 2nd Infantry Regiment, assigned to D. H. Hill’s Division of the Army
of Northern Virginia, participated in the Battle of Williamsburg (VA) today.
1863 The U.S.S. Tahoma captured the schooner Crazy Jane near Egmont Key near Charlotte Harbor.
The Crazy Jane was
carrying a cargo of cotton and turpentine.
1961 Alan
Shepard became the first American in space today as his Freedom 7 capsule, atop
a Redstone rocket (Mercury 3), carried him 115 miles into the atmosphere.
Launched at 10:34 a.m., Shepard spent 15 miles in space and landed at
10:49 a.m., 302 miles from Cape Canaveral near the Bahamas.
During the journey, he maneuvered his spacecraft by firing small rockets.
1979 John
Spinkellink was put to death today at Starke as Florida reinstituted the death
penalty after its use had been restricted by the United States Supreme Court.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 6
1851 Dr.
John Gorrie, a physician in Apalachicola, patented his ice-making machine today.
Gorrie, 1802-1855, looking for a way to cool patients suffering from
malaria fever, was granted Patent No. 8080.
His invention led the way for commercial ice making machines and
eventually for the development of air conditioning.
He is one of two Floridians honored with a statue in the Capitol Rotunda
in Washington, D.C.
1886 The
First National Bank of Tampa received its Federal charter today.
1935 Unemployed
Floridians and other similar Americans had much to rejoice about today as
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration, a
New Deal agency designed to give work to workers of all kinds, including
teachers, writers, musicians, academics, artists and other who were “hard to
employ.”
Florida Facts:
Names of Individuals for
whom some state buildings are named in the Capitol Complex:
R.A. Gray, Secretary of
State
William D. Bloxham,
Governor
Duncan U. Fletcher,
United States Senator and Governor
J. Edwin Larson, State
Treasurer
Farris Bryant, Governor
Haydon Burns, Governor
Charley E. Johns, Acting
Governor
LeRoy Collins, Governor
Fred C. Elliot, Engineer,
Internal Improvement Fund
Spessard L. Holland,
Governor and United States Senator
Millard F. Caldwell,
Governor and State Supreme Court Justice
Doyle E. Carlton,
Governor
Others....?
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 7
1822 A
United States Custom District was established today at Key West.
1863 The
Confederate schooner Sea Lion,
carrying a cargo of cotton, was captured in the Gulf of Mexico today.
1864 The U.S.S. Sunflower today captured the Confederate sloop Neptune
with its cargo of cotton as Federal troops occupied Tampa.``
1877 The
Bank of Jacksonville was founded today by William Boyd Barnett.
This band ultimately became a statewide operation under the name Barnett
Bank until it was sold to NationsBank in 1998.
1924 Mrs. H.
M. Strickland was sworn into office today as the first female mayor of Live Oak.
1956 E. D.
Jackson, Jr., the first African-American nominated for public office in
Jacksonville in forty years, was successful today in his campaign for Justice of
the Peace.
1963 America’s
second Telstar satellite was successfully launched today from Cape Canaveral.
1992 The
space shuttle, STS-49, was launched today from Cape Canaveral.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 8
1781 The
British garrison surrendered Fort George in Pensacola to a large combined force
of French and Spanish troops today.
1860 The
Pensacola and Georgia Railroad started laying track for a line to run between
Lake City and the Suwanee River.
1866 The
Ocala Star-Banner was founded
today as the weekly Banner.
1889 DeLand
University amended its charter today to rename the University John B. Stetson
University.
1917 Okeechobee
County, Florida’s 54th county, was created today by the Florida Legislature.
The name is taken from two Hitchiti Creek words that mean “big
water.” County
Seat: Okeechobee
1923 Collier
County, Florida’s 62nd county, was created today by the Florida Legislature.
It was named in honor of developer Blanton G. Collier.
County Seat: Naples
1936 Park
Trammell, the 21st governor of Florida (1913-1917) and United States Senator
(1917-1936), died today in Washington, D.C.
He was buried at Roselawn Cemetery in Lakeland.
[For more information, see entries for January 7 and April 9.]
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 9
1832 Fifteen
Seminole chiefs, meeting at Payne’s Landing (near Micanopy), signed a treaty
to cede their lands in Florida to the United States.
1861 When a
32-pounder was fired by Confederate troops at Fort Marion (Castillo de San
Marcos) in St. Augustine, residents of St. Augustine feared the city was under
attack by Federal forces. Their
fears were calmed when the fort’s commander, Lieutenant Charles F. Hopkins,
explained that the firing had been undertaken to clean the bore of the cannon.
1862 Confederate
forces evacuate Pensacola today, torching all the military installations and
property in the city. The steamer Fulton
was set afire, along with two privately owned smaller boats.
1865 Confederate
forces in Tallahassee, under the command of Brigadier General Samuel Jones, were
making preparations for the official surrender of the city to Union forces
tomorrow.
1950 Construction
of concrete launching pads for America’s rocket program began today at Cape
Canaveral.
1980 Sunshine
Skyway Bridge, which crosses Tampa Bay at St. Petersburg, was struck by a
phosphate freighter. A 1,200 foot
section of the bridge collapsed, and thirty-five people were killed when a
Greyhound bus, several cars, and a truck fell into the bay.
1981 A
350-foot-wide and 150-foot-deep sinkhole, thought to be Central Florida’s
largest, appeared in Winter Park today. A
residence, part of a municipal swimming pool and a number of trees fell into the
crater.
1991 The
Astronaut Memorial was dedicated as a national monument at Kennedy Space Center
at Cape Canaveral.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 10
1861 Union
president Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ
of habeas corpus in Florida, citing the existence of an
“insurrection” against the United States in that state.
1862 Federal
forces occupy Pensacola, which was surrendered peaceably by the mayor of the
city.
1862 The
Federal barge, James L. Davis,
arrived in Apalachicola today and found the inhabitants in an “almost starving
condition.”
1865 Major
General Samuel Jones, CSA, formally surrenders Tallahassee, the only Confederate
state capitol east of the Mississippi that was not captured by military action,
and all Confederate troops and property in the state to federal Brigadier
General Edward M. McCook.
1904 Napoleon
Bonaparte Broward won his primary today in an ultimately successful campaign for
the Florida governor’s office.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 11
1861 “The
Cowboys,” a local militia company, was organized in Duval County today.
1864 Captain
J. J. Dickison, commanding Company H, 2nd Florida Cavalry, has positioned his
men to keep watch on Federal activities in the area around Fort Butler.
1893 The
City of Carrabelle was incorporated today.
1905 The
Florida Legislature adopted the first automobile regulations today. All vehicle owners were charged $2.00 to register their
automobiles.
1907 The
City of Wildwood was incorporated today.
1910 Jacqueline
Cochran, the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound, was born today
in Pensacola.
1923 Hendry
County, Florida’s 63rd county, was created today by the Florida Legislature.
The county was named in honor of Captain Francis Asbury Hendry, legendary
cattle baron and Civil War hero. County
Seat: LaBelle
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 12
1742 General
James Oglethorpe and troops from Georgia attacked St. Augustine from the sea,
but failed to capture the Castillo de San Marcos.
After a prolonged siege, Oglethorpe and his soldiers left the area in
September.
1861 Florida
newspapers report that three former residents of St. Augustine, Abraham Dupont,
William Quincy, and Thomas Mirando, participated in the assault against Fort
Sumter.
1863 Governor
John Milton named Mariano D. Papy of Tallahassee as the state’s Impressment
Commissioner.
1864 The U.S.S. Beauregard today captured the British sloop Resolute
while the sloop was at anchor off Cape Canaveral.
1865 The
crew of the Confederate gunboat Spray
surrendered their boat to Federal authorities at Fort Ward at St. Marks.
1865 David
Levy Yulee was appointed Florida Commissioner and dispatched to Washington to
confer with President Andrew Johnson about conditions in Florida. Yulee was appointed by Acting Governor Abraham Kurkindolle
Allison, who had assumed the office following Governor John Milton’s suicide
on April 1, 1865.
1887 Osceola
County, Florida’s 40th county, was established by the Florida Legislature
today. The county was named after
the Seminole chief, Osceola. County Seat: Kissimmee
1912 The
United States battleship, Florida,
commissioned in 1911 was launched today under the sponsorship of Elizabeth
Lagere Fleming, the daughter of former Governor Francis P. Fleming.
The Florida was 510 feet
long, displaced 21,825 tons, had a speed of 22 knots, and cost $6,400,000.
This was the fifth United States Navy ship to bear the state’s name.
1912 Tampa’s
Union Station, now fully refurbished and a major shopping area, was opened
today.
1982 The
Florida Supreme Court approved the reapportionment plan created by the Florida
Legislature, which created single-member districts and which vacated all seats
in the Florida Senate.
1993 The
African-American boycott of tourism in Miami ended today.
The boycott had been called when the city’s officials snubbed South
African political activist Nelson Mandela.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 13
1887 Lee
County, Florida’s 41st county, was established today by the Florida
Legislature. The county was named
in honor of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
County Seat: Fort Myers
1862 The U.S.S. Vincennes arrived in Pensacola Bay today to assist
with the Federal occupation of the City of Pensacola. The Vincennes
was the first Federal ship to enter Pensacola Harbor since the outbreak of the
Civil War.
1863 The U.S.S. DeSoto captured the Confederate schooner Seabird
off Pensacola Bay, while the U.S.S.
Huntsville captured the Confederate schooner A.J.
Hodge at sea off the east coast of Florida.
1926 The
cornerstone for the Sarasota County Courthouse was laid today.
1955 Jacksonville
was rocked by a riot tonight following a concert performance by Elvis Presley.
1959 Newspapers
throughout the nation were reporting the “new” Florida land boom today as
lots in Florida subdivisions were being marketing through mail outs and national
advertising.
1969 The
Florida Legislature today ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the
United States that granted suffrage rights to women.
The amendment, which was approved by enough states to become a part of
the “law of the land” on August 26, 1920, was finally approved by the
Legislature in recognition of the achievements of the Florida League of Women
Voters. Florida was the 50th state
to ratify the amendment.
1983 NASA
scientists at Cape Canaveral rejoiced today as “Pioneer 10,” launched eleven
years ago, becomes the first spacecraft to exit the Earth’s solar system.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 14
1863 The U.S.S. Fort Henry captured a small flatboat loaded with corn
in Wacassassa Bay near Cedar Key.
1921 Sarasota
County, Florida’s 60th county, was established today by the Florida
Legislature. The actual origin of
the name “Sarasota” was unknown, but popular legend has it that the name is
a combination of the names of DeSoto’s daughter Sara.
Another legend is that the name was given by Spanish explorers to
describe a Native American “place for dancing.” County
Seat: Sarasota
1926 Opa
Locka’s incorporation as a town was approved by voters today by a count of
28-0.
1929 Airmail
service between the United States and South America was started today in Miami.
1931 Eau
Gallie, originally founded in January 1887, was reincorporated today.
1970 The
Miami Bible Institute changed its name today to Miami Christian University.
1973 The
United States put its “Skylab” satellite into orbit today from Cape
Canaveral.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 15
1896 The
Miami Metropolis, the
forerunner of the Miami News,
was founded today.
1922 WDAE
Radio in Tampa was licensed today as Florida’s first commercial radio station.
1926 Albert
Waller Gilchrist, the 20th governor of Florida (1909-1913), died today in New
York. [For more information, see
entries for January 5 and January 15.]
1933 The
Ringling School of Art, originally founded as part of Florida Southern College
in 1931, was incorporated today as a separate and independent institution.
The Ringling School of Art is located in Sarasota.
1947 Florida
State College for Women, which held its first classes in 1857, was reorganized
and renamed Florida State University today.
It also became a co-educational institution.
1963 The
Mercury 9 spacecraft was launched today from Cape Canaveral.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 16
1824 Edmund
Kirby Smith, Confederate general and Commander of the Confederate
Trans-Mississippi West, was born today in St. Augustine.
Smith was a graduate of West Point (1845), fought in eight battles of the
Mexican-American War, taught mathematics at West Point, was wounded in Indian
fighting, and was a noted botanist. In
1861, he resigned his position with the United States Army to enter Confederate
service.
Smith organized the Army of the Shenandoah and was severely wounded at
the Battle of First Bull Run. After
campaigns in Tennessee and Kentucky, he was given command of the
Trans-Mississippi West. When Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, Smith’s command
was isolated from the mainstream of the Confederacy. As an independent Department commander, his control over the
Confederacy west of the Mississippi was virtually absolute.
Following the end of the War Between the States, Smith taught mathematics
at the University of the South (Suwannee).
During the war, Smith signed his orders and reports as “E. Kirby
Smith,” and thus arose the habit of referring to him as “Kirby Smith.”
Following his death on March 28, 1893, his family adopted this as their
family name and hyphenated it as “Kirby-Smith.”
When he died in 1893, Kirby Smith was the last full general of the
Confederacy.
Florida selected him as one of two individuals (John Gorrie was the
second) to represent the state in the Hall of Statues in the Capitol in
Washington, D.C.
1863 The
United States schooner, Two Sisters,
reported the capture today of the Confederate schooner Oliver S. Breese off the Florida Keys.
1864 Federal
troops from the U.S.S. Somerset
landed near Apalachicola today. After
a brief skirmish with Confederate troops, the Federal troops reported the
capture of six small boats, four prisoners, and a quantity of ammunition and
supplies.
1938 George
Couper Gibbs assumed office today as the Attorney General of Florida.
1944 Governor
and Mrs. Spessard L. Holland dedicated the 85-mile Overseas Highway to Key West
today in ceremonies at Florida City.
1963 The
City of Cape Canaveral was incorporated today.
1984 David
Kennedy, a member of the famous Kennedy Clan,
was found to have been killed of a drug overdose in a West Palm Beach
hotel.
1987 The
last known “dusky seaside sparrow” died in captivity at Disney World today.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 17
1775 The
American Continental Congress ordered all trade between the American colonies in
revolt against Great Britain and East and West Florida stopped.
1842 United
States troops engaged Seminole warriors in two skirmishes today. Two enlisted men were killed when Company D and Company E of
the 7th United States Infantry confronted a party of Seminoles at Fort
Wacahoota. In another skirmish near
Clay’s Landing on the Suwanee River, Company f of the 7th United States
Infantry, under the command of 1st Lieutenant L. F. Britton, had one enlisted
man killed and two wounded. Seminole
casualties were unknown.
1863 The U.S.S. Kanawha captured the Confederate schooner Hunter
today in the Gulf of Mexico. The Hunter carried a cargo of cotton. In other news, the Confederate blockade runner Cuba
was burned by her crew prevent its capture by the U.S.S.
DeSoto. The decision to
burn the ship came after a six-hour sea chase.
The Cuba’s cargo was
estimated to have a value of $1,250,000 (Confederate).
1864 A
convention of Unionists was
convened today in Jacksonville to elect delegates to the Republican Convention,
which was scheduled to meet in Baltimore on June 7.
1913 Domingo
Rosillo flew across the Straights of Florida, from Key West to Havana, to become
the first person to fly between the United States and Cuba. The flight took two hours and 30 minutes.
1973 The
Florida House of representatives voted 61-55 in favor of articles of impeachment
against Lieutenant Governor Tom Adams today.
Failing to meet the Constitutional requirements for a two-thirds vote,
the vote failed. In a subsequent
action, the House voted 88-26 to officially censure Adams for “misconduct and
misdemeanor” for his improper use of state employees.
1980 Miami
erupted in the first of what would be three days of riots today.
The riots started after four city policemen were acquitted of the murder
of an African-American businessman. The
final toll for the three days of rioting was 14 persons dead, several hundred
wounded, and millions of dollars in property damage.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 18
1773 Reverend
John Ledbetter, an Anglican minister, was provided with a Royal Bounty to pay
for his passage to the colony at New Smyrna.
1863 The U.S.S. Kanawha captured the Confederate schooner Ripple
today in the Gulf of Mexico.
1955 Mary
McLeod Bethune, the founder and first president of Bethune-Cookman College in
Daytona Beach, died today. Ms.
Bethune, who was born to former slave parents on July 10, 1875, began her own
school on October 3, 1904, with a capital of only $1.50.
Bethune’s career in education began when she received a scholarship to
attend Scotia Seminary in North Carolina. A
second scholarship provided the means for her to attend the Moody Bible
Institute in Chicago, Illinois. After
teaching eight years at schools in Augusta, Georgia, and Palatka, Florida, she
opened her own school.
In 1923, Bethune-Cookman College was created.
In 1924, Mrs. Bethune was elected president of the National Association
of Colored Women’s Clubs. In
1935, she founded and became the first president of the National Council of
Negro Women. A close friend of Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Mrs. Bethune was
part of the “Black Cabinet,” which advised President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt on matters regarding African-Americans in the United States.
She was also a consultant to the founding conference of the United
Nations.
1964 Governor
Farris Bryant participated in ground breaking ceremonies for the first permanent
building on the campus of the Lake-Sumter Community College in Leesburg today.
1969 The
Apollo 10 spacecraft was launched today from Cape Canaveral.
1985 Many
populated areas of the state face threats from wildfires as Florida experienced
the largest outbreak of fires in the state’s history to date.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 19
1840 In an
encounter with Seminole warriors near Micanopy, Lieutenant J. W. Martin,
commanding Detachment K of the 2nd United States Infantry, was killed. Two enlisted men were captured or killed, and one Seminole
warrior was captured.
1840 Lieutenant
J. S. Sanderson was killed today in a skirmish between Seminole warriors and
Detachments F, H, and I of the 7th United States Infantry at Levy’s Prairie,
eight miles from Micanopy. Five
enlisted men were also killed, and one enlisted man was wounded.
Seminole casualties were unknown.
1864 The U.S.S. DeSoto today captured the schooner Mississippian
today in the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippian was carrying a cargo of cotton and turpentine.
1887 DeSoto
County, Florida’s 42nd county, was created today by the Florida Legislature.
The county was named in honor of the Spanish explorer, Hernando DeSoto.
County Seat: Arcadia
1903 Bradenton,
then spelled “Bradenton,” was incorporated today.
1927 The
second charter for the City of Naples, originally founded in 1876, was approved
today by the Florida Legislature.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 20
1839 Captain
J. P. Davis, of Detachment K of the 7th United States Infantry, was killed by Seminoles today while riding the messenger
express between Forts Number 3 and Number 4.
1861 William
Wing Loring of St. Augustine resigned his commission in the Untied States Army
today and accepted an appointed as a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army.
1862 A
skirmish between Federal troops and Confederate troops occurred today at
Carr’s Hill near the Gulf of Mexico. Seventeen
Union soldiers were killed or wounded. The
Confederate troops experienced no casualties.
1865 General
E. M. McCook, commander of the Federal occupation forces in Florida, today
ordered that the flag of the United States be raised over the state’s capitol
building, effectively signaling an end to Florida as a Confederate state.
1913 Henry
Morrison Flagler, railroad entrepreneur and Florida hotelier, died today.
Flagler, an associate of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, first
visited Florida in 1883. He immediately saw possibilities for exploitation of the
state’s natural assets. He began
his economic ventures in Florida by purchasing several short railroad lines and
combining them into a single system, the Florida East Coast Railway.
Gradually, Flagler extended his lines southward, eventually reaching Key
West. Where the railroad went, he
either purchased existing tourist hotels or constructed his own.
In several instances, Flagler created entire new towns centered around
his transportation system and resort hotels.
The Florida Legislature repaid part of the debt of the people of Florida
to this developer when it enacted a special divorce law that allowed Flagler to
shed an insane wife and remarry. Until
that time, a spouse was not legally able to divorce an insane spouse, and the
Florida law eliminated that provision. As
soon as Flagler divorced his wife, the law was repealed.
1920 Union
County, Florida’s 61st county, was established today by the Florida
Legislature. The county was
originally to be named “New River County,” a county that had existed from
1858 until 1861, but which had its name changed to Bradford County to honor
captain Richard Bradford, the first Florida officer killed in the War Between
the States. The sponsor of the bill
to create the county amended his proposal to change the name to Union County.
The new county was carved from territory in Bradford County.
County Seat: Lake Butler
1929 Laurie
Yonge completed the world’s record for endurance in air flight today. Her record of 25 hours and five minutes was completed over
Jacksonville Beach and North Florida.
1933 Camp
P-54, the first Civilian Conservation Corps camp in Florida, was established
today in Eastport (Duval County). Men
assigned to the camp were given the task of creating more than 25 miles of fire
breaks.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 21
1843 More
than 2,000 persons assembled near Tallahassee for the Micasukie Methodist Camp
Meeting.
1862 The 4th
Florida Infantry regiment left for Corinth, Mississippi, today.
1863 The U.S.S. Union today seized the British blockade runner Linnet
west of Charlotte Harbor.
1864 Florida
cavalry forces near Palatka, commanded by captain J. J. Dickison, were
reinforced today by twenty-five artillerymen and several guns from Dunham’s
Battery.
1947 Hallandale,
originally incorporated as a town in 1927, was reincorporated today.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 22
1821 U.S.
Secretary of State John Quincy Adams named John Bird and Alexander Anderson
Attorneys of the United States for Florida today.
1863 Boats
from the U.S.S. Fort Henry
captured the sloop Isabella in
Wacasassa Bay.
1865 Part of
the baggage of Confederate President Jefferson Davis arrive at David Levy
Yulee’s Cotton Wood plantation near
Archer. Davis was attempting to
flee the North American continent after the surrender of Confederate armies in
Virginia and North Carolina. For
years, rumors persisted that a considerable part of the Confederate treasury was
buried on Yulee’s property. If
so, it has never been found.
1907 The
Florida Legislature approved the incorporation of Pablo beach (now Jacksonville
Beach) today.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 23
1805 Jean-Pierre
Augustin Marcellin, first Bishop of St. Augustine (1870), was born in LePuy,
France, today.
1863 Florida
Governor John Milton issued a strong letter of protest to Confederate President
Jefferson Davis against the Confederate Congress’ reduction in the number of
plantation overseers exempt from military service.
1864 Confederate
troops under the command of Captain J. J. Dickison captured the Federal gunboat Columbine near Palatka.
The Columbine was
destroyed to prevent its re-capture by Federal troops.
1911 Pinellas
County, Florida’s 48th county, was created by the Florida Legislature today
out of territory that comprised part of Hillsborough County.
The name “Pinellas” was derived from the Spanish name, “Punta
Pinal,” or “point of pines.” County Seat: Clearwater
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 24
1818 Fort
Barrancas, garrisoned by Spanish troops, surrendered to Major General Andrew
Jackson today. American troops
replaced Spanish troops.
1824 President
James Monroe appointed Robert Butler as Surveyor of Public Lands in the
Territory of Florida today.
1862 Two
Federal vessels, the Amanda and
the Bainbridge, captured the
Confederate steamer Swan west
of the Tortugas. The Swan
was carrying a cargo of cotton and resin.
1863 The U.S.S. Port Royal captured the Confederate sloop Fashion
near Apalachicola Bay. A small
barge and ship repair facilities were also destroyed at devil’s Elbow.
1880 Florida’s
first telephone exchange opened today in Jacksonville.
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company opened with 34 subscribers.
1893 Holy
Name Academy, organized in 1889 by the Benedictine Sisters, was chartered today
in San Antonio in alliance with Saint Leo College.
1905 St.
Lucie County, Florida’s 46th county, was established today by the Florida
Legislature. This was the second
county to bear this name. The
original St. Lucie County, created as Florida’s 25th county on March 14, 1844,
was subsequently renamed Brevard County on January 6, 1855.
The county was named for St. Lucie of Syracuse.
County Seat:
Fort Pierce
1924 WDBO
Radio in Orlando, originally operated as a college station at Rollins College,
made its inaugural broadcast today.
1965 The
Asolo Theatre of the Ringling Museum in Sarasota was named the official state
theatre today by the Florida Legislature.
1962 The
Mercury 7 spacecraft was launched today from Cape Canaveral.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 25
1843 Tallahassee
was swept by a devastating fire today as homes and businesses were leveled.
The damage was appraised at approximately $650,000.
1861 The
Pensacola Rifle Rangers were organized today.
Edward A. Perry was elected captain.
1864 The
Florida Brigade, under the command of General Joseph J. Finegan, arrived in
Richmond today. It will become part
of Anderson’s Division of the Army of Northern Virginia.
1865 David
Levy Yulee, former United States and Confederate States senator, was arrested
today by Federal authorities in Gainesville.
1893 Lake
Butler was incorporated as a town today by the Florida Legislature.
1921 The
incorporation of Eatonville, founded in the 1880s as a town controlled by
African-Americans, was approved today by the Florida Legislature.
1973 NASA
launched the Skylab I satellite today from Cape Canaveral.
1979 John
Spenkelink was executed today at Starke. Spenkelink’s
execution was the first in Florida following the Supreme Court’s ruling that
the death penalty was not unconstitutional in 1977.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 26
1845 David
Levy Yulee was elected as Florida’s first member of the U.S. House of
representatives today. Yulee did
not take the seat, but was elected to the U.S. Senate later that year, a
position he did take.
1863 Walter
Gwynn assumed the office of Comptroller of Florida today.
1864 Federal
forces from the U.S.S. Wartappo
attacked Confederate salt works at Goose Bayou today.
Men from the 2nd Florida (U.S.) Cavalry destroyed about sixty kettles.
1896 L.N.
Richardson was elected the president of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Colored
Medical Association of Florida. The
Association met in Ocala.
1898 The
first diplomas were awarded by the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St.
Augustine.
1911 The
City of Winter Haven was incorporated today.
1925 Boca
Raton was incorporated today.
1955 The
City of Miramar was founded today.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 27
1822 Andrew
Jackson delivered his “farewell address” today after appointing William G.
D. Worthington as acting governor of East and West Florida.
1861 The
Coast Guards, a company from the Crystal River area, was organized today. James L. Miller was elected as captain.
1863 The
Confederate gunboat C.S.S.
Chattahoochee exploded on the Apalachicola river today.
Eighteen men were killed and twelve others were wounded. Faulty boilers were responsible for the explosion.
1864 Federal
forces attacking Confederate salt works at East Bay were fired upon by
Confederate forces. No casualties
were reported on either side.
1887 Lake
County, Florida’s 47th county, was established today by the Florida
Legislature from territory taken from Orange and Sumter counties.
The county took its name from the more than 500 lakes, named and unnamed,
that were contained in the county. County
Seat: Tavares
1891 Florida’s
first Salvation Army Corps was established today in Jacksonville. Five years later on this date, a Salvation Army officer was
arrested while conducting street services and charged with disturbing the peace.
1958 Pratt
and Whitney established its Florida research and Development Center in West Palm
Beach.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 28
1864 Union
soldiers from the Federal schooner Fox
destroyed salt works between the Suwannee River and St. marks. Twenty-five kettles and 100 bushels of salt were destroyed.
1892 The
Florida East Coast Railroad Company was incorporated today.
1917 The
City of Lake Wales was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.
1932 The
Daytona Art League was incorporated today.
1935 The
Florida Legislature adopted Stephen Foster’s Old
Folks At Home as the official song of Florida.
1937 A new
hospital was dedicated in the City of Melbourne today.
The cost of the new facility was $45,000.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 29
1586 Sir
Francis Drake, the famous English “Sea Dog” burned and sacked the town of
St. Augustine today.
1765 The
Creek nations held a meeting with British officials in Pensacola to consider
trade relations.
1895 The
City of High Springs was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.
1935 The
first homestead exemption for Floridians was approved today by the Florida
Legislature. Homeowners were
allowed to deduct $5,000 from the appraised value of their property.
1942 Members
of the Eau Gallie Yacht Club rescued eight sailors whose ship had been torpedoed
by a German U-Boat in the Atlantic.
1970 The
Florida Senate today approved the play The
Cross and the Sword as the official play of the State of Florida.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 30
1539 Hernando
DeSoto, Spanish governor of Cuba, landed at Tampa Bay with men, animals, and
equipment as he prepared to scour the southeast in search of gold and valuables.
1863 The U.S.S. Fort Henry captured a small sloop and a scow today in
Wacasassa Bay. The scow was
carrying 56 bales of cotton.
1863 Confederate
General Pierre Beauregard arrived in Tallahassee today, along with Confederate
General Howell Cobb of Georgia. Both
men will address a public gathering in the Senate chambers of the State Capitol.
1864 The U.S.S. Bermuda captured the sloop Fortunate today off the coast of the Indian River Lagoon.
The sloop was bound for Nassau with a cargo of cotton.
1865 For
United States Vice-President and Confederate General John C. Breckinridge
arrived at Carlisle’s Landing on the Indian River Lagoon.
Breckinridge and his party were escaping capture by Federal soldiers and
to make their way to Cuba.
1907 The
first edition of the Panama City Pilot
was published today.
1917 The
Florida State Museum (now the Florida Museum of Natural History) was established
at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
1925 Martin
County, Florida’s 64th county, was created today by the Florida Legislature.
The county is named in honor of Governor John W. Martin (1925-1929).
County Seat: Stuart
1925 Indian
River County, Florida’s 65th county, was created today by the Florida
Legislature. The county was named for the Indian River Lagoon, which flows
through it. County
Seat: Vero Beach
1956 African-Americans
in Tallahassee began a bus boycott in that city.
They were protesting the system of segregation that required non-whites
to ride in the back of busses.
1989 Former
United States Congressman and Senator Claude Pepper died today.
TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
MAY 31
1861 Federal
mail service comes to an end in Florida and the rest of the Confederate States
of America. Confederate Postmaster
General John Reagan announces that the CSA will now perform the functions
previously carried out by the United States Postal Service.
The official date of the new service will be June 1.
1863 The U.S.S. Sunflower captured the British blockade runner Echo
near the Tortugas. The Echo
was carrying a cargo of 185 bales of cotton.
1899 An
amendment to the state constitution was approved by the Florida Legislature
today that provided for the adoption of the current state flag.
1961 Lake
City Community College was authorized by the Florida Legislature today.