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The island of Virginia Keywas named by Frederick H. Gerdes of the United StatesCoast Survey in 1849. He noted that the island north ofKey Biscayne had no name, and had not existed as an islanduntil ‘Narrows Cut’ had broken through “ten or twelve”years before by the the hurricane of 1835 or 1838.In the summer of 1945, a group of citizens led by JudgeLawson E. Thomas staged a protest at the beach at Baker’sHaulover County Park north of Miami Beach against thesegregation laws that prohibited Blacks from using thepublic beaches of Miami and Dade County. In responseto the protest, county officials created Virginia KeyBeach Park, a public beach for the black community,which opened on August 1, 1945.Virginia Key Beach Park originally had bathhouses, picnicpavilions, a concession stand, mini-train, carousel andother amenities such as cabanas. The beach remainedsegregated through the 1950’s.On February 22, 2008 Virginia Key Beach Park wasreopened to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremonyafter extensive renovations. The park is open daily, andamenities such as the bathhouse, concession stand, picnicpavilions, and dance floor are restored and operational.