Timeline Of Ponce, Puerto Rico, History

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Pre 16th century

* 600-1000AC – The Ponce areas of El Tuque, Punta Cucharas, Caracoles and Tibes, among others, are inhabited by Igners and pre- Taino cultures.''Informe Final del Proyecto de Monitoreo Socioeconómico en las Áreas Protegidas Marinas y Costeras de Puerto Rico: Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas, Ponce, Puerto Rico.''
Rosemarie Vazquez Cruz, Carlos J. Carrero Morales, Jeannette Ramos Garcia and Andreica Maldonado. A joint project by NOAA, DRNA, Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios del Litoral (UPR-Mayaguez), and Programa de Colegio Sea Grant de la UPR. 2011. Gaspar Pons, Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Re-published by Carlos Carrero. (November 2011). Page 37. Accessed 25 February 2019.

16th century

* 1508 – Cacique Agüeybaná, the cacique who led the region of which Ponce was a part, greets Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León on his arrival to the island of Puerto Rico.
* 1511 – Agüeybaná II, the cacique of the area that would later be known as Ponce, leads the Taíno rebellion of 1511 against the Spanish invaders but later dies of battle wounds.
* 1550 – Or, middle of the 16th century. Residents of San German spread out to the plains of the southern coast of Puerto Rico as far as Rio Jacaguas, now part of Ponce, to raise cattle and farm the land.
* 1582 – Colonizers settled on the banks of Rio Jacaguas, Ponce.

17th century

* 1646 – The area settled by the Spanish colonists is first referred to by the name of "Ponce".
* 1670 – A chapel is erected in the middle of the Spanish settlement and dedicated in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
* 1678 – Governor Juan de Robles Lorenzana attempts to organize the settlement at Ponce with the appointment of a ''"Capitán a guerra"'' but, unwilling to formalize the settlement, all of the Ponce residents refuse to accept the post.
* 1692 – The Spanish settlement at Ponce is recognized as a hamlet by Spanish King Carlos II.

18th century

* 1712 – The populated place is chartered as ''El Poblado de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Ponce'' (The village of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Ponce).
* 1724 – Founding of the San Antonio Abad shrine at the location currently occupied by the Ponce City Hall.Eduardo Neumann Gandia. ''Verdadera y Autentica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce.'' Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. 1913. p.258.
* 1740 – The Ponce Catholic parish burns, making it the first of many notorious fires in the city.
* 1742 – The English attack Ponce and the invasion is repealed by local citizens.
* 1760 – Fuerte de San José is built in Barrio Playa.
* 1765 – First census yields a total of 3,314 souls residing in Ponce.
* 1778 – Coamo takes over administrative jurisdiction of the region of Ponce from San German.
* 1787 – The 1787 Boricua earthquake cracks the walls of the Our Lady of Guadalupe church.

19th century

* 1800 – A census yields a total of 7,234 souls residing in Ponce.
* 1811 - Intendente Alejandro Ramirez declares the Port of Ponce open to international commerce.
* 1812:
** First Constitutional mayor, José Ortíz de la Renta, takes office, and the '' ayuntamiento'' is established.Guillermo A. Baralt. ''Buena Vista: Life and work in a Puerto Rican Hacienda, 1833-1904.'' Translated from the Spanish by Andrew Hurley. (Originally published in 1988 by Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico as ''La Buena Vista: Estancia de Frutos Menores, fabrica de harinas y hacienda cafetalera''.) 1999. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA: University of North Carolina Press. p. 18.
** Port of Ponce dredged, built and opened.
* 1813 – The naval customs office is established.
* 1814 – First cemetery is built.
* 1816 – Ponce ceases to depend on Coamo for governmental matters and becomes seat of the Southern District government.
* 1819 – First public scrivener (clerk) is appointed.
* 1820:
** A large fire that "almost destroyed the early Ponce settlement" takes place, prompting Governor Miguel de la Torre to order that "every male from 16 to 60 years old must become a olunteerfirefighter".
** The first known division of the village into barrios.
** Declared seat of one of seven judicial districts in Puerto Rico.
* 1821 – Declared headquarters of Southern Military District.
* 1826 – 10 July: Slave rebellion. Eleven slaves are executed and six other are condemned to 10 years of hard labor.
* 1827 – 26 February: A large fire in Playa de Ponce started by lightning destroys many residential homes and warehouses with estimated losses at $37,000 ($ in dollars) Spanish pesos.
* 1833 – Hacienda Buena Vista is established.
* 1836 – Inauguration of Ponce's Ayuntamiento General.
* 1839:
** The town's chapel is demolished and a new church with two octagonal towers is built in its place.
** The Court of First Instance is transferred from Coamo to Ponce.
* 1842 – 17 February: Seven slaves are executed at Cerro del Vigía and 6 others received prison sentences ranging from 6 to 10 years for an organized rebellion the previous year (1841).
* 1843 – Mayor Juan Rondón inaugurates the Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro cemetery (then called ''Cementerio Civil'') and he is also first person to be buried there.
* 1845 – A fire in Barrio La Playa destroys most of the sea-front settlement
* 1846:
** The Ponce City Hall is built to be used as a jail.
** Royal decree organizing the municipal government of Ponce.
* 1848:
** 29 July: Granted the status of ''villa'' (town).Francisco Lluch Mora. ''Orígenes y fundación de Ponce y otras noticias relativas a su desarrollo urbano, demográfico y cultural : (siglos XVI-XIX).'' San Juan, P.R.: Plaza Mayor. 2001. p. 132.
** A third slave rebellion takes place (see 1826 and 1841).
* 1853 – 17 January: There is a mayor fire in Ponce which, because there were no firefighters yet, was put out by residents and civil and military authorities. It resulted in a campaign for the establishment of a group volunteer firefighters.
* 1857 – Construction of Carretera Central (today's PR-14 and PR-1) begins, joining Ponce and San Juan.
* 1858 – Carnaval de Ponce starts its annual celebration.
* 1863:
** Plaza de Mercado Isabel Segunda is completed
** Santo Asilo de Damas is founded by Sister Francisca Paz Cabrera
* 1864:
** Teatro La Perla, so named to honor the Virgin of Montserrat (who was known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean.") opens with ''La Campana de la Almudaina''.
** The Ponce Gas Company is founded by Julio Steinacher.
* 1870:
** Juan Bertoli builds a home for mayor Ermelindo Salazar which would later become Centro Cultural de Ponce Carmen Solá de Pereira
** Ponce Municipal Library, Puerto Rico's oldest public library, opens as ''Gabinete de Lectura''.
* 1871 - Logia Aurora Num. 1, a masonic lodge was founded in Islote Caja de Muertos, Ponce.
* 1873 – Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad, the first Anglican church anywhere in Latin America, is built.
* 1874:
** 14 January, Verification of the Ponce leg of the transatlantic cable at the Port of Ponce.
** 18 May, the city is first lit using gas-based lampposts.
** 8 September, telegraph service begins.
* 1876:
** Hurricane San Felipe hits Ponce as a Category 4 hurricane.
** Acueducto de Ponce, the first modern water distribution system built in Puerto Rico, becomes operational.
* 1877 – 16 August: Granted status of city ( ayuntamiento).
* 1880:
** 20 September. A large fire destroys most older civil records (birth, baptism, marriage, etc.) of the Ponce parish.
** 23 October. The Ponce Railway, running from downtown Ponce to the Port of Ponce starts operation.
* 1882 – Great Agricultural and Financial Fair at Plaza Las Delicias.
* 1883 – Population: 39,052 in city; 155,597 in province (departamento).
* 1885 – Hospital Tricoche opens after an endowment by Valentin Tricoche.
* 1886 – Leaders of the Partido Autonomista Puertorriqueño deliver their '' Plan de Ponce'' manifesto, also known as ''Plan Autonomista de Ponce''.
* 1887 – The Spanish activate the Caja de Muertos Light followed, two years later, by the Cardona Island Light.
* 1889 – Cardona Island Light is lit by the Spaniards
* 1894
** The Spanish military barracks at Ponce are built
** Population: 37,545.
* 1895:
** Hotel Meliá opens its doors as a 9-room lodging house on a two-story structure
** Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño is established.
** There were 11 consulates in the city.
* 1897:
** The Spanish military opens a military hospital in Ponce
** Manuel V. Domenech designs the Rosaly-Batiz Residence for Ponce mayor, Pedro Juan Rosaly.
** The city is wired for public telephone service.
* 1898:
** Largest city in the island, Ponce has a population of 22,000.
** The United States declares war on Spain, invades Puerto Rico, and American General Miles takes the city without resistance as its citizens preferred its beautiful architecture not be destroyed by bombardment.
* 1899:
** Manuel V. Domenech unveils Residencia Armstrong-Poventud across from the Ponce Cathedral.
** 25 January 1899 – The "El Polvorin" fire threatens to burn down the city
** Hurricane San Ciriaco kills 500 people in the city and causes coffee harvest damage from which the coffee industry never recovered.

20th century

1900-1949

* 1901 – Both Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul and Cementerio Civil de Ponce are established
* 1902 – Ponce High School is founded
* 1907:
** The Puerto Rico Episcopal Church founds Hospital San Lucas.
** The Methodist Church builds Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Ponce in the city; next year it builds Iglesia Metodista Unida de La Playa de Ponce
** Unión de Gremio de Cocheros de Ponce is founded.
* 1909 – El Día is founded as "El Diario de Puerto Rico; it would be renamed "El Nuevo Día" in 1970 upon its relocation to San Juan
* 1910:
** Campo Atlético Charles H. Terry is inaugurated
** The Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico meetinghouse, where the Ponce massacre will take place in 1937, is built
** Blas Silva designs the Residencia Subirá.
* 1911:
** Casa Salazar-Candal and Casa Serrallés are built
** The tomb-monument Monumento a los heroes de El Polvorín is erected
** Alfredo B. Wiechers completes building his home, later termed Casa Wiechers-Villaronga.
* 1913 – Casa Oppenheimer and Casa Font-Ubides are built.
* 1917 – Banco de Ponce opens for business.
* 1918 – The 1918 San Fermín earthquake does major damage to the Teatro La Perla, closing it until 1941, and the Catedral Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, bringing down its two iconic towers
* 1919 – Puerto Rico Iron Works and Rovira Biscuits Corporation start production
* 1920 – Population: 41,561.
* 1922 – Antiguo Casino de Ponce opens its doors.
* 1924:
** The Beaux-Arts-style Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño and Banco de Ponce buildings are erected.
** The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce is established.
* 1925 – Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias establishes Clinica Dr. Pila
* 1926:
** Casa Rosita Serrallés is built
** Colegio Ponceño de Varones opens its doors
** Mercado de las Carnes is built to supplement the meat market needs of Plaza de Mercado Isabel Segunda
* 1927 – Casa Fernando Luis Toro is built in La Alhambra, "the first upper-class suburban development ever built in Puerto Rico."
* 1928 – Hurricane San Felipe Segundo impacts Ponce and surrounding areas at Category 5 force.
* 1930
** Castillo Serrallés is built.
** Population: 53,430.
* 1931 – Teatro Fox Delicias shows its first movie.
* 1932 – Hurricane San Ciprian launches against the Ponce area destroying citrus, sugar, coffee, tobacco, and other harvests.
* 1933 – The building later renamed the Luis A. Ferré United States Courthouse and Post Office Building opens as a post office and federal courthouse on Calle Atocha.
* 1934 – Bosque Estatal Toro Negro is established with 6,800 cuerda