1956 – Key Wester Clint Giese was filming an underwater movie of a skin-diving party at the reef for the United Services Organization to highlight recreational activities for Keys service members. Giese, an early U.S. Navy color-movie photographer, had first come to Key West in 1946 to work on underwater sequences for the Navy submarine film “The Silent Service.”

1945 – A plaque of polished brass was presented by the Florida State Chamber of Commerce to Key West’s William Curry’s Sons Company, recognizing the business for being in operation more than 100 years.

1980 – The Monroe County Advertising Commission allocated an additional $10,000 from its budget for advertising in South Florida to help turn around tourism losses resulting from damaging press about the Mariel Boatlift.

1956 – The Monroe County School District had hired 70 new teachers for the upcoming school year, but with a shortage of housing in the area, the Chamber of Commerce put out a call for any available apartments, houses, or rooms to accommodate the new instructors.

1924 – The Barnes Sound Bridge at Key Largo was completed. As soon as a small stretch of road was finished near Florida City, this would allow motorists to travel between Dade and Monroe counties.

1926 – The Key West trolleys and tracks, along with their accompanying electric lines, began to be removed from city streets. The cars, because they were not of a standard gauge and were of an obsolete “open” style, would be sold for scrap.

Step-by-step guide to Monroe County Public Library resources like Libby, Kanopy, Freegal Music, LawDepot and more.

You can get legal forms in minutes with high-quality, easy-to-use, and completely customizable legal documents and templates with LawDepot, available with your library card.

1966 – The Key West Yacht Club opened its new marina with 48 berths for vessels up to 70 feet, a fuel dock, 110- and 220-volt electricity, and a blacktop road leading to the docks from North Roosevelt Boulevard.

1966 – The Key West Chamber of Commerce agreed to accommodate the multi-million-dollar local seafood industry by adding a board seat for a representative from the trade.

1990 – The National Park Service wrote to Key West Mayor Tony Tarracino to express an interest in using the historic Wall & Co. Warehouse at Mallory Square as a visitor center and administrative headquarters for Fort Jefferson National Monument.

1876 – The new Key West City Hall on Greene Street was dedicated by Mayor Carlos Manuel de Cespedes. The main address, “A History of Key West,” was given by Walter C. Maloney. A fire alarm sounded before he could finish speaking, and the crowd followed the firemen. Maloney’s speech was later published as “A Sketch of the History of Key West, Florida.”

1904 – Mrs. Clarence K. Till, widow of police officer Till, was presented with a deed to a house and lot bought by the citizens of Key West after her husband was killed in the line of duty.

1976 – The Key West Comparsa dancers and musicians left for St. Augustine to participate in the “Florida on Parade” Bicentennial celebration. They also planned to perform in the island’s Bicentennial parade on July 5, after their return.

1976 – Key Wester Frank Balbontin sent a painted wood carving he made of the White House to President Gerald Ford as a Bicentennial gift from the island. It had taken Balbontin six months to complete the 24x36-inch artwork.

1981 – U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles dedicated the reconditioned cutters Ute and Lipan in ceremonies at the Coast Guard Station in Key West.

Summer Reading is bringing celebrities of all kinds — and species — to our branches.

1905 – An appropriation of nearly $500,000 was authorized for improvements at the Key West Naval Station, including new buildings, an extension of the coal sheds, and the construction of a quay wall from the sheds to Fort Taylor.

1926 – After serving 29 years at the Convent of Mary Immaculate, Sister Louis Gabriel left Key West for a new assignment. Sister Louis was a much-beloved teacher, and she had taken care of injured soldiers in the Spanish-American War and established a grotto on church grounds to protect Key West from hurricanes. She said she hoped to return to the island, but the decision would be up to Mother Superior.

Fridays at 11 a.m. is Story Time at the Key West Library.