The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 on Display

More than 80 images and stories of before and after the storm

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Islamorada, FL – A photographic collection of the destruction caused by the strongest hurricane to ever hit land in North America is on display at the Keys History & Discovery Center in Islamorada.

The exhibit, The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, opens Thursday, Aug. 28 and features more than 80 black and white images that not only capture the Upper Keys before the storm, but also the extraordinary aftermath.

The initial forecasting of the storm, survivors’ accounts of during and after the storm, and the rebuilding of the Upper Keys is documented in stories surrounding the telling images. Read many first-hand accounts from WWI veterans working on a solid bridge system to replace the automobile ferries. Learn about the pig that survived and greeted his owner days after the storm. See photos of the construction and dedication of the Florida Keys Monument built to honor the nearly 500 veterans and residents who lost their lives in the storm. And discover how the surviving residents of the Upper Keys rebuilt after this massive destruction.

The exhibit runs Thursday, Aug. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014, at the Discovery Center in Islamorada, MM 82, located at the Islander Resort. The exhibit is open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $12. Admission for seniors is $10 and children 13-under are free.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation, a not-for-profit organization formed to develop and operate the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center. For more information, call 305-922-2237 or visit our website at www.keysdiscovery.com.