1962 – A reception was held at Truman Elementary School to honor Miss Miriam Carey, who was retiring after 43 years of teaching. The beloved Carey had taught multiple generations of Key Westers, and she was named Florida’s “Teacher of the Year” in 1960.

A diary from 1851 offers vivid descriptions and sketches from Key West at that time.

2015 – Members of the Douglass High School Class of 1965, the last to graduate from the segregated Key West school, gathered at the Marriott Beachside Resort for a 50th reunion.  “It’s always a pleasure to be among people you’ve known for years and some you haven’t seen in years,” said an attendee.  

1958 – Over 300 members of the Outdoor Writers Association of America were holding their annual convention at Key Colony Beach. The group participated in laying the cornerstone of the new Key Colony Beach Convention Center. 

1957 – The Key West Citizen’s “newsboys,” or newspaper delivery carriers, were competing for a series of prizes. The awards would be determined by carriers’ prompt payment of bills, their acquisition of new customers, and existing customer evaluations.

1946 – The Key West Elks Lodge ordered an iron lung for donation to the city. The lung would be kept at the city hospital, though it would also be available for use elsewhere on the island.

3D printing has arrived at the Islamorada Library branch.

Getting a library card can be a useful - and money-saving! - part of your hurricane preparations.

1975 – The cruise ship Pacific Princess made its third visit to Key West in a month. Greeters presented hibiscus flowers to lady passengers as they disembarked, and tea towels from Key West Hand Print Fabrics were given to all passengers.

1975 – The Florida State Unemployment Compensation Bureau in Key West moved from 419 to 421 Caroline Street. Both addresses were within the same building.

1962 – Florida State Road Department surveyors were in Key West to examine the site for a proposed causeway to cross Garrison Bight. The span, to be built on fill from deepening the bight, would start between First and Fifth Streets on one end and join Palm Avenue at the intersection of Eisenhower Drive on the other.

1947 – The U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board authorized National Airlines to provide air service between Key West and Havana.

1955 – To “protect the efficiency, health, and welfare of military personnel,” the U.S. Navy declared three Key West businesses “off limits” for all enlisted men and officers: The 116 Club at 116 Fitzpatrick Street; a rooming house at 119 Duval Street; and The Tattoo at 713 ½ Duval Street.

1967 – The Navy announced that Truman Beach adjacent to Fort Taylor was permanently closed, with facilities moved to the Beach Patio area. The beach was closed because recent harbor dredging had carried away most of the sand, making the area dangerous.

1946 – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department held a public demolition of recently-seized slot machines at the courthouse in Key West. The illegal gambling devices had been taken from Weaver’s Tourist Camp on Stock Island and Eddie’s Fish Basket on Sugarloaf Key. 

Tell Us How Great it is to Live in the Upper Keys with a poem! Each number determines the number of words in that line. Zeroes are a Wild...

1956 – The Florida Internal Improvement Board turned down the City of Key West’s request for an 11.48-acre site at the foot of Whitehead Street for the establishment of a recreation area. The city wanted to turn the area into a beach that would be connected to the island by an extension of Whitehead Street.

1956 – Democratic Presidential candidate Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver was campaigning in Key West. He promised Mayor C.B. Harvey that if he was elected, he would make Key West his vacation headquarters.

1911 – Norberg Thomson began construction of a concrete building that would house his cigar box factory on Caroline Street in Key West. The wooden boxes would be used by the local cigar manufactories.

The Key West Library Chess Club meets from 1-4 p.m. every Saturday at the Library, 700 Fleming St.