Matecumbe Historical Trust Corp.

Labor Day Service - 90th Anniversary of the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane
2025-09-01 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Islamorada Hurricane Monument, mm 81.5
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.

Politics in the Florida Keys over the past 60 years.
2026-03-24 18:00
ISLAMORADA VILLAGE MANAGER WILL BE GUEST SPEAKER
Islamorada Village Manager Ron Saunders will be the guest speaker at this month’s lecture hosted by the Matecumbe Historical Trust on Tuesday, March 24th at the Islamorada Public Library at 6pm. Ron’s subject will be “Politics in the Florida Keys over the last 60 years”.
A lifelong Keys resident, Saunders was selected by the Islamorada Village Council to serve as Village Manager beginning in April 2025. He is the chief administrative officer of the Village and supervises all department staff.
From 1986 to 1994 and from 2006 to 2012, Ron represented Islamorada and the rest of the Keys in the Florida House of Representatives. During his tenure in Tallahassee, Saunders was a member of both the majority party and minority party. Ron served as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, responsible for the state’s multi-billion dollar budget and was twice selected as the Most Effective Member of the 120-member House. He later was elected to serve as House Minority Leader in his final term of office.
His father, Judge Jack A. Saunders, represented Monroe County in the Florida House of representatives in the early 1960s.
The lecture is free and open to the public. For information call 305-393-0940.

Who Shaped the Sportfishing Capital of the World by Tammie Gurgiolo
2026-04-28 18:00 - 19:00 | Islamorada Public Library, 81830 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, FL, 33936, United States
Photo: Jeane and Irving Eyster with Captain Don Gurgiolo in 1953. Irving’s parents and brother standing.
The Matecumbe Historical Trust will hold a free presentation on Tuesday, April 28th at the Islamorada Public Library starting at 6 pm. Tammie Gurgiolo talk about how Islamorada became the Sportfishing Capital of the World and who paved the way. Tammie, the daughter of legendary Capt. Don Gurgiolo and charter boat Gonfishin V fame will discuss the sportfishing industry of Islamorada from the WWII era moving forward. She will talk about the women who fished while the men were at war and who the mover and shakers were after.
Tammie was born and raised in Islamorada and saltwater runs through her veins. Just like her father she loves to fish. She spent over 35 years running tournaments and promoting Islamorada in the sportfishing industry. She has been restoring her beloved Gonfishin V that was her father’s final sportfishing boat and hopes to soon have her back out on the water. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information please call 305-393-0940.
