Florida Frontiers

The Union ships, Adela and Tahoma were shelled near Tampa on this date. A number of casualties were inflicted. On land, Federal troops reached the Hillsborough River at about 6:00 a.m. Sighting the Scottish Chief and the Kate Dale, they set both ships on fire. The Scottish Chief had a cargo of 156 bales of cotton, while the Kate Dale carried 11 bales. Confederate forces, under the command of Captain James Westcott, attacked the Federals later in the evening and killed five soldiers, wounded ten, and took seven prisoner.

The first Vela Hotel Satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral on this date. The Vela, short for velador (Spanish for watchman,) were designed to detect and monitor nuclear explosions from anywhere on earth. The system was utilized after the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty signed by the U.S., Soviet Union and other nuclear-capable states. 

The Florida Dental Association, then referred to as the Florida State Dental Society, was founded in Jacksonville at a meeting in Library Hall. It is a statewide organization which represents Florida-licensed dentists. Part of their mission is to improve the oral health of Florida residents, promote ethical practice standards, and direct the evolution of the practice environment through continuous education and advocacy for the profession and the public.

Cigar workers in Tampa, having been on strike for 6 months, called a workers’ meeting and voted in favor of continuing the strike. The Tampa Tribune reported on the meeting and called closed shops “un-American”. When the strike ended 4 months later, it had been the longest and most expensive in the Tampa cigar industry.

The first mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Springs opened to the public on this date. Newton Perry, a former U.S. sailor who trained Navy SEALs chose the site in 1946 and installed a free-flowing air hoses hidden in scenery for the mermaids to use in order to create the appearance of breathing underwater during the shows. The mermaid shows at Weeki Wachee have thrilled tens of thousands of visitors especially during the 1950s – 1970s. In 2008 Weeki Wachee Springs became Florida’s newest State Park, still entertaining crowds with the famous Mermaid shows.

The Leon Hotel in Tallahassee burned down on this date. Originally constructed in 1881 on East Park Avenue, it was a two story Victorian style hotel with large ornate porches wrapping around both floors. The large fire which was not completely extinguished until October 14^th reduced the entire structure to ashes. Later in 1935 the post office building was built on the site.

Apollo 7 was launched from Cape Kennedy Air Force Station on this date. Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the United States Apollo space program, and the first manned US space flight after a cabin fire killed the crew of what was to have been the first manned mission, Apollo 1, during a launch pad test. It was an 11-day Earth-orbital mission, the first manned launch of the Saturn IB launch vehicle, and the first three-person US space mission. It was also the final manned launch from what was then known as Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, Florida. The crew was commanded by Walter M.

Florida folk musician Gamble Rogers died on this date. While Rogers was camping at Flagler Beach, a young girl ran to him, begging him to help her father, who was in trouble in rough surf. Despite suffering from spinal arthritis that had been worsening since childhood, Rogers grabbed an air mattress and headed into the ocean in a rescue attempt. Both men died in the surf. The Flagler Beach State Recreation Area was renamed Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach in 1992 in his honor.

The Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels appointed a board to survey the needs of Naval aeronautical development and establish a policy to guide future development on this date. One of the most important recommendations made by the board was to establish an aviation flight school in Pensacola, FL. By early 1917, NAS Pensacola, which was the only naval air station in the country, had only 38 pilots and 54 aircraft, but by the end of WWI the air station had trained over 1,000 naval aviators.

The first trees were cleared for streets in Ybor City by workers under the direction of civil engineer Gavino Gutierrez. The initial 40 acre tract of land was purchased by cigar manufacturer Vicente Martinez Ybor, with help from the Tampa Board of Trade who was looking to expand his operation outside of Key West. Thousands of immigrants from Cuba, Spain and Italy flocked to Ybor over the next few decades working in the cigar industry, until the decline of the industry in the 1920s and 1930s.