[FHStoday] TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY FOR DECEMBER 18

[Nick Wynne]

TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
DECEMBER 18
1861            Brigadier General R. F. Floyd, commander of Confederate 
forces at Apalachicola, reported that he had 612 men under his command.

1863            Federal soldiers destroyed salt works around St. Andrews 
Bay today.  An estimated 500 "works," 33 wagons, 12 flat boats, two sloops, 
six ox-carts, 4,000 bushels of salt, 700 buildings, and more than 1,000 
kettles and iron boilers were destroyed.  Union officials estimated the 
combined productive capacity of the destroyed works at 15,600 bushels a day.

1917            The Key West Naval Air Station was commissioned into 
service in ceremonies today.

1920            The first W. T. Grant store in Florida opened today at 903 
Franklin Street in Tampa.

1956            The University of South Florida opened today with a charter 
class of 1,997 students.  Dr. John Lott Brown, president, supervised the 
creation of the first major state university created from scratch  in the 
United States in the 20th Century.  USF now has more than 35,000 students 
located on the 1,672 acre Tampa campus and the 11 acre St. petersburg 
campus.  In addition USF operates branches in Polk County 
and  Sarasota.  USF is also responsible for the operation of New College in 
Sarasota. .  USF offers a number of advanced degrees in a variety of 
professional fields.  In 1997, USF fielded its first football team, the 
Brahma Bulls.