Scott De Wolfe Collection, a set on Flickr.

Check out our newest, oldest collection of Keys images. The Scott De Wolfe collection contains some of the oldest images of Key West that we’ve seen around. We have  scanned, tagged and captioned this amazing collection and are eager to share it. Here’s more info:

I would to thank all my friends who came to the Ingham to mark my 25 years as Monroe County Historian and our work to preserve history for future generations.  I could not do this alone and everyone there had done their part over the years to help and support this effort.  We must continue our effort to preserve the Florida Keys and its very special history. A special thanks  to Bruce and Patricia Neff and the Historic Marker crew, Bill Verge of the USCG Ingham, Mayor and Mrs. Cates, …

Scott De Wolfe Collection, a set on Flickr.

Scott De Wolfe is the co-owner of De Wolfe & Wood Rare Books in Alfred, Maine. He made his first visit to Key West in 1996 and quickly became interested in the history of the island. Being in the rare book and antique paper field has allowed him to amass a large selection of Key West memorabilia, ephemera, books and photographs. His particular interest are items that tell a story or provide a window into the past. De Wolfe notes that “Key West …

Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868 to remember the men that lost their lives in the Civil War. As the only southern city to remain in the Union during the Civil War, a large number of U.S. Navy, Marine Corp, and Army men died in Key West, mostly from tropical fevers. The Army men were buried in the Barracks Cemetery that was on White Street across from the Armory. The graves were moved in 1927 to the U.S. National Cemetery at Fort Barrancas near Pensacola. The Navy …

Here’s a special holiday image from a forthcoming library digital collection.
Don DeMariá has been a professional diver since 1972 and based in the Keys since 1978.

Governor LeRoy Collins at the dedication of the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on December 10, 1960. From the Monroe County Library Collection.
Originally uploaded by Florida Keys–Public Libraries

America’s only undersea park celebrates its 50th year! Here’s a link to all the festivities: http://www.fla-keys.com/pennekamp50/events.cfm
Check out the library’s collection of Upper Keys photos, including the Pennekamp dedication, here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keyslibraries/sets/72157625375988576/

In the 1950s, demand for new homes was exceeding supply. Developers were looking for areas to build. Old Town Key West was a good location near downtown stores and the well paid jobs on the Naval Base with old homes and buildings that could be removed and new ones built. This effort was being aided by the city commissions that at almost ever meeting were ordering old buildings and homes that were in disrepair to be razed; even the Oldest House on Duval Street was on the list …

We just finished uploading our collection of Florida East Coast Railway photographs to our Flickr site. Our goal is to have these photos (and oral histories and other related documents) available for anyone planning an event for the Florida East Coast Centennial in 2012. Here’s our policy on using the photos.
We chose to release the photos just before Labor Day to honor the men who worked and died building the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway.
It took almost seven years to build the extension. The working conditions …

Colonel Frederick Hambright
Frederick Hambright was born on May 1, 1727 in Germany.  He came to America on the ship, St. Andrew on October 27, 1738 with his father, Conrad Hambrecht, and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. During the immigration process the name was changed to Hambright and as far as I know all the Hambrights in this country are descendants of Conrad.
In 1755 Frederick Hambright moved to Virginia, where he married his first wife, Sarah Hardin. Then, in 1760, Hambright moved to Tryon County, North Carolina and settled near the …

In February 1923 Charles Curry who lived at 603 Southard Street hired a man to put a well in his yard. In the pre-pipeline days water for human consumption came from cisterns but most people had fresh water wells for other household uses. A layer of fresh water floats on the saltwater and a shallow well produces fresh water that some still use today to water plants.
Mr. Curry’s man reported he had sunk the pipe to the required depth and installed a pump but could only get oil from the …