"Today in Florida History"

for June

1861                        Confederate mail service officially began today.

1861                        The Federal blockade of the City of Fernandina started today with the arrival of the Union ship, U.S.S. Perry, under the command of Lieutenant Enoch G. Parrott.

1864                        Federal troops moving out of Jacksonville surprised confederate troops at Camp John Milton on McGirt’s Creek and drove them toward Baldwin.  The Union troops numbered about 2,500.  They destroyed the Confederate camp.

1881                        The sale of 4 million acres of Florida public land to Hamilton Disston was approved today by the Florida Legislature.  Disston purchased the land for 25 cents an acre.  Through this sale, the State of Florida managed to avoid bankruptcy.

1899                        The City of Dunedin was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.

1899                        The City of Vernon was incorporated today.

1905                        Jacksonville’s Carnegie Library, dedicated as the first free library in the eastern part of the Southern States, opened today. 

1909                        The Florida Citrus Exchange was organized in Tampa today.

1934                        Singer Patrick Aloysius Boone (“Pat”) was born today in Jacksonville.

1937                        Aviatrix Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan left Miami International Airport today as they continued their “round-the-world” flight.  The flight would end a few weeks later with the disappearance of the plane and its occupants.  The “Amelia Earhart Mystery” is still unsolved.

1964                        The U.S. Supreme Court reversed an earlier ruling by the Florida Supreme Court and ruled that school prayers and Bible readings in public schools were unconstitutional.

1969                        The Merritt Island Public Library was dedicated today.

1862                        Confederate troops surprised a detachment of 11 men from the U.S.S. Kingfisher on an expedition up the Aucilla River.  Two Union soldiers were killed and nine captured.

1864      A detachment of soldiers from the U.S.S. Sunflower destroyed a sizable salt works on the shores of Tampa Bay.  Four kettles, a quantity of salt, and several furnaces were also destroyed.

1865      Florida-born Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered his army to Federal forces today in Texas.

1878      The first meeting of an Episcopal congregation, which would become St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Cocoa, was held today in Cocoa.

1887      Citrus County, Florida’s 44th county, was created by the Florida Legislature today.  The county was named in honor of the state’s major agricultural crop.  County Seat:  Inverness

1887      Pasco County, Florida’s 45th county, was created by the Florida Legislature today.  The county was named in honor of Samuel Pasco, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and United States Senator.  County Seat:  Dade City

1897      Clearwater (formerly Clearwater Harbor) was incorporated today.  Clearwater was the site of the Seminole War Fort Harrison.

1897      The Town of Williston was incorporated today.

1915      The City of Inverness was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature. 

1953      Actress Diana Canova was born in West Palm Beach today.

1863      The U.S.S. Stars and Stripes captured the blockade runner Florida near St. Marks.  The Florida, a small sloop, was carrying a cargo of  6 bales of cotton and a barrel of tar.

1864      Confederate troops regain their positions at Camp John Milton on McGirt’s Creek, which had been overrun by Federal troops on June 1.

1865      A party of Confederate refugees, including General John C. Breckinridge, left the Indian River Lagoon near Jupiter Inlet today and headed for the open ocean.

1893      The City of Citra was incorporated today.

1905      The City of Blountstown was incorporated today. 

1906      Robert L. F. “Bob” Sikes, long-term Congressman from Crestview, was born today.  Sikes, known as the “Old He-Coon,” was born in Georgia.

1912      The Miami Beach Improvement Association was formed today. 

1943      Blackout tests and air raid drills were ordered for Florida’s coastal communities.

1965      The Gemini 4 spacecraft was launched today from Cape Canaveral.

1966      The Gemini 9 spacecraft was launched today from Cape Canaveral.

1828      The “El Destino” plantation, near Tallahassee, was purchased today by the Nuthall Family for $2350.00.  The plantation contained some 480 acres and was primarily a cotton growing operation.  [The “El Destino” records are part of the Tebeau Collection in the Alma Clyde Field Library of Florida History in Cocoa.]

1863      A boat from the U.S.S. Fort Henry captured a Confederate barge loaded with 39 bales of cotton at the mouth of the Crystal River.

1889      Saint Leo College, located in Pasco County, was established today.  Saint Leo College was a high school, military school, and is now a four-year degree granting institution with approximately 2,500 students on its home campus and an extensive network of satellite campuses on various military bases around the United States.  Among its more famous alumni were actor Lee Marvin, entertainer Ricky Ricardo, and the sons of Nicaragua’s former dictator, Samoza.

1913      Lake Worth, formerly the community of Lucerne, was incorporated today. 

1915      The City of Okeechobee was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature. 

1927      Fred H. Davis assumed the office of Florida Attorney General today.

1946      As the United States wound down from its war effort, many properties, used by the military during World War II, were returned to private or municipal owners.  Ti-Co Airport, near Titusville, was turned over to Brevard County today by the United States Navy, which had used it as an auxiliary landing field for its planes stationed in Orlando and at the Banana River Naval Air Station (now Patrick Air Force Base).

1968      Tropical storm Abby, formerly a category 1 hurricane, struck Punta Gorda today. 

1862      The Confederate steamer Havana was set ablaze today in Deadman’s Bay.  The steamer was fired to prevent her capture by the Federal ship Ezilda.

1883      Crescent City was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.

1913      The City of Cedar Key was re-incorporated today.

1925      The municipal charter for Cocoa Beach, the Florida “boom” resort created by Cocoa attorney Gus Edwards, was approved by the Florida Legislature today. 

1941      The Highway 520 causeway linking the City of Cocoa to Merritt Island was dedicated today.  This causeway would prove extremely useful to U.S. military forces at the Banana River Naval Air Station (today’s Patrick Air Force Base) and to civilians patrolling the beaches for German U-boat activity.

1963      The Florida Supreme Court ruled today that cigarette manufacturers can be held liable in the deaths of smokers.

1991      The space shuttle (STS 40) was launched today from Cape Canaveral.

1995      Hurricane Allison made landfall between St. Georges Island and St. Marks in the Panhandle today.

1840      William Dudley Chipley, West Florida entrepreneur and railroad developer, was born today in Columbus, Georgia.

1863      The U.S.S. Tahoma captured the Confederate schooner Statesman in Tampa Bay.  The Tahoma’s crew was able to effect the capture despite harassing fire from a Confederate artillery battery.

1905      The City of Largo was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.

1925      Gulf County, Florida’s 66th county, was created today by the Florida Legislature.  The county was named in honor of the Gulf of Mexico, which forms its southern boundary.  County Seat:  Port St. Joe

1939      Singer-songwriter Gary U S Bonds, nee Gary Anderson, was born today in Jacksonville.

1944      Thousands of Floridians and soldiers/sailors trained in Florida participated in the Normandy invasion today.  The Normandy operation marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.

1944      Florida College, the alma mater of evangelist Billy Graham, was chartered today in Temple Terrace.

1956      Crime novelist Patricia Cornwell was born today in Miami.

1990      A Fort Lauderdale Federal judge ruled the “2 Live Crew” album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be, as obscene and devoid of redeeming social or artistic value.

1995      Hurricane Allison continued to cut a path of destruction across Northern Florida today.  It would eventually cause one death and approximately $1.7 million in damages.

1837      More than 700 Seminoles slipped away from the United States Army and made their way to the Everglades as the program to transport Seminoles to Oklahoma began.

1862      Confederate General Joseph J. Finegan, commander of Middle and East Florida, has begun the construction of a seven-gun redoubt at Alum Bluff on the Apalachicola River. 

1873      African-American sawmill workers idled mills in North Florida today.  The workers, members of the Jacksonville Labor League, were seeking a 10-hour day and a minimum payment of $1.50 per day.

1913      Port St. Joe was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.

1929      The City of Chiefland was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.

1917      The first man in Cocoa to register for the newly created draft was  David W. Jones.  Jones was also the smallest man to register, measuring a mere 4 feet, 1 inch in height and weighing only 87 pounds.

1845      Andrew Jackson, general and former President of the United States, died today at the “Hermitage,” his plantation in Tennessee.  Jackson was especially important in the modern history of Florida, since he was largely responsible for its acquisition by the United States following his invasion of the then Spanish province.

1925      The charter for the City of Avon Park, founded in 1886, was approved by the Florida Legislature today.

1925      The Naval Aviation Museum at the Naval Air Station Pensacola was formally opened today.

1943      William Calley, the Army lieutenant convicted in the My Lai massacre in South Vietnam, was born today in Miami.

1864      The U.S.S. Proteus captured the British schooner R.S. Hood off the Florida coast today.

1865      The first African-American missionary, Reverend William G. Steward, arrived in Jacksonville today from Charleston to begin organizing churches for the newly liberated freedmen in the state. 

1891      The City of Clermont was incorporated today.  The city was later re-incorporated in 1917. 

1966      Hurricane Alma struck northwest Florida today, 20 miles east-northeast of Apalachicola. Alma caused $10 million and six deaths.

1862      United States Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles instructed units of the Federal navy to investigate rumors that Confederates had constructed a road from the northern Indian River Lagoon to Volusia that would allow them to escape the Union naval patrols. 

1863      The U.S.S. Fort Henry captured 250 bushels of corn belonging to Confederate Senator David levy Yulee today on a barge off the mouth of the Withlacoochee River.

1864      The United States’ steamer, Union, today captured the Confederate sloop Caroline off Jupiter Inlet. 

1865      The Midway African Methodist Episcopal Church was established today.

1919      Vero, now Vero beach, was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.

1921      The Town of River Junction (now Chattahoochee) was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.

1936      The first land for Hillsborough River State Park, near Zephyrhills, was acquired today.  The park, which opened in 1938, would become a favorite camping spot for the “Tin Can Tourists” who came to the Sunshine State. 

1963      Governor Farris Bryant signed a bill today to create Florida Technological University (Now the University of Central Florida) in Orlando.

1990      “2 Live Crew,” a rap group, was arrested today in Hollywood, Florida, for performing songs from their album that had already been ruled obscene by a Federal judge.

1862      The Union navy captured two Confederate vessels in the Gulf of Mexico today.  The U.S.S. Sesquehanna captured the Princeton, a blockade runner, while the U.S.S. Bainbridge captured the schooner Biagorry and its cargo of cotton.

1913      Preparations were underway today for tomorrow’s grand opening of the first bridge crossing to Miami Beach.

1925      The City of Clewiston was incorporated today.

1937      The City of Fort Walton was incorporated today.

1953      The sabal palmetto palm tree was designated as Florida’s official state tree today by the Florida Legislature. 

1964      Dr. Martin Luther King and seventeen companions were arrested today in St. Augustine (in violation of Florida’s unwanted guest law) for their attempt to desegregate a well-known and popular restaurant in the city.

1993      The United States Supreme Court ruled today that the City of Hialeah could not outlaw animal sacrifices for religious reasons. 

1565      French settlers at Fort Caroline continue to experience severe conditions, particularly the lack of food. 

1913      The first bridge crossing to Miami Beach opened today and signaled the intense development of that area.

1928      The first city elections were held today in Cocoa Beach.

1861      Confederate President Jefferson Davis has designated today as a Confederate “Day of Thanksgiving,” and has called for fasting and prayer for the protection of the Confederate States of America.

1863      The U.S.S. Sunflower today captured the Confederate blockade runner, Pushmataha, near the Tortugas.

1915      Okaloosa County, Florida’s 52nd county, was created by the Florida Legislature today.  The name of the county was derived for the Choctaw Indian language for “black water.”  The Blackwater River is located in the county.  Okaloosa County was created from land taken from Santa Rosa and Walton Counties.  County seat:  Crestview

1942      The City of Dania, which was originally founded as “Modello,” was chartered today by the Florida Legislature.

1974      Governor Reubin Askew announced the appointment of Dorothy Glisson as Florida Secretary of State, thus making her the state’s first female Cabinet officer.

1826      Captain Joseph Fry, called the “Cuban Martyr,” was born today in Tampa.  Fry was executed in 1873 by Spanish authorities for carrying Cuban rebels aboard his ship.

1863      The Federal ship, U.S.S. Somerset, shelled Confederate salt works on Alligator Bay, near St. George’s Sound.  Following the shelling, 65 Union sailors and marines were put ashore.  They destroyed 65 kettles, 200 bushels of salt, and thirty houses.

1934      The first bachelor’s degrees were awarded by the Jacksonville College of Music today.  The Jacksonville College of Music is now part of Jacksonville University.

1963      Marymount College in Boca Raton was founded today. 

1822      The City of Jacksonville was founded today.

1862      The U.S.S. Somerset and the U.S.S. Tahoma shelled the Confederate fort near the lighthouse at the St. Marks River.  When Confederate artillery units withdrew, Federal troops landed and burned the fort, the interior of the lighthouse, and the buildings used as barracks for the Confederate troops.

1863      G. Troup Maxwell announced today that he would be a candidate for the Confederate Congress from the Second Florida Congressional district.  General elections were scheduled for October.

1893      The City of Palmetto was incorporated today by the Florida Legislature.

1917      The “new” Cocoa High School was dedicated today. 

1931      North Miami Beach, originally chartered as “Fulford,” was reincorporated today by the Legislature. 

1978      Former Florida Supreme Court Justice David L. McCain was disbarred by the Florida Supreme Court for conduct undermining the judicial process.  McCain was disbarred for using his influence on lower court justices for his friends.

1779      Spain joined the fledgling United States of America today by declaring war against England.  Spain hoped to retrieve the colonies of East and West Florida lost to the English in 1763.  Spain would regain the territory in 1783.

1834      The stagecoach road between Tallahassee and Pensacola was delayed when the construction of the portion between Marianna and the Apalachicola River was delayed.  The U.S. Quartermaster, overseeing the project, brought charges of mismanagement against the contractor.

1862      The U.S.S. Somerset captured the British blockade runner, Curlew, off the coast near Cedar Key.

1863      The Circassian, a Union supply steamer, captured the Confederate sloop, John Wesley, off the coast of St. Marks today.  The Wesley was carrying a cargo of 12 bales of cotton. 

1864      Federal troops from the schooner J.S. Chambers, dispatched up the Waccasassa River, returned to their ship today with 12 bags of cotton.