1915 – Fire destroyed the large cigar factory of E.H. Gato at the corner of Simonton and Virginia streets.

1900 – The people of Key West raised over $1,200 for victims of the Galveston hurricane. The disbanded cigarmakers’ union voted to give...

1871 – John Bartlum died at age 57. He was born in the Bahamas and was working in Key West by 1835. He was the leading shipbuilder of...

1883 – Key West Mayor William McClintock resigned his position to take a job at the Custom House. He had been elected less than a year...

1845 – Joseph C. Whalton was named Postmaster of Key West. 1906 – The first installment of railroad iron and switches for the Florida...

1832 – Since January 1st, there had been eight deaths in Key West. Of adults, there were two drownings, two died of tuberculosis, and...

1859 – A kitchen fire, “no doubt the result of carelessness,” broke out in the early morning in a building at the corner of Front and...

1864 – Admiral Theodorus Bailey, flag officer commanding the East Gulf Blockading Squadron at Key West, wrote: “My worst fears have been...

1888 – Benjamin B. Baker, master wrecker and pioneer pineapple planter on the Keys, died at his home on Key Largo. 1918 – France’s...

1910 – Two Key West children were burned after their mother placed a can of flaming insect powder on the nightstand and it ignited the...

1825 – The new lightship Caesar , destined for duty at Carysfort Reef, was wrecked and abandoned on Florida’s east coast while being...

1882 – Nelson English was named Postmaster of Key West, the first African American to hold that position. 1897 – George W. Allen was...

1844 – The brig Alwilda , sailing from Cuba to New York with a cargo of mahogany and palm leaves, had wrecked on Alligator Reef near...

1825 – The brig Lima , sailing from Havana to Philadelphia, wrecked on the reef off “the Saddle Hills.” It carried a cargo of silks,...

1898 – A U.S. Marine Battalion that had been camped at Key West left for Cuba on the USS Panther . 1923 – The local Key West Regulars...

1861 – Key West Mayor John P. Baldwin was removed from office when Florida officials were removed because of secession. 1893 – It was...

1859 – A fire began in the warehouse of L.M. Shaefer near the corner of Front and Duval streets. Apart from two houses, the fire...

1898 – War prices ruled in Key West. A tall glass of soda cost 15 cents, lemonade 20 cents, and beer 25 cents. Drinking water, too, was...

1886 – A fundraising effort in Cuba to aid those displaced by the great Key West fire totaled $3,550. There were 652 refugees from Key...

1832 – Ornithologist John James Audubon left from Charleston on board the Revenue Cutter Marion , bound for the Florida Keys. 1912 –...