Labor Day Service – 90th Anniversary of the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane
The Matecumbe Historical Trust will hold their annual Labor Day Service on Monday, September 1st starting at 9am at the Islamorada Hurricane Monument, mile marker 81.5. Please join us in memory of those who perished 90 years ago in the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane.
The Hurricane Monument memorializes hundreds of local citizens and American Veterans who perished in the two hundred mile an hour winds and 17-foot storm surge. After World War 1, over 600 veterans came to the Florida Keys to help complete U.S. Highway One, along with other projects. The storm hit resulting in the death of almost five hundred people, many who lived here along with the veterans who were not removed and should have been.
Each year the Matecumbe Historical Trust holds a service to pay tribute to those who lost their lives. On the 75th anniversary of the storm, the Matecumbe Historical Trust hosted the first survivor’s reunion with seven of the survivors telling what they went through the night of the hurricane. We will retell parts of what they said. There are only two survivors left.
The service will include the introduction, Invocation, Presentation of Colors, National Anthem, guest speakers, history of the hurricane, the laying of the memorial wreath, Taps, Patriotic songs, and the Benediction. For more information, please call 305-393-0940.