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.

1957 – The second mate and an oiler of the Key West-to-Havana ferry SS City of Havana were taken into custody by federal authorities at Key West on charges of smuggling aliens into the United States.

The Sunshine State Readers Award program puts together lists of books for young readers of different ages.

1962 – The Key West Citizen’s “Power for Peace” float was awarded the best-of-theme prize in the Key West Armed Forces Day parade.

1913 – Agustin Parla Orduna, a Key West native, flew his sea plane to Cuba, becoming the second man to fly across the Florida Straits.

1989 – Shorty’s Diner, an institution on Key West’s Duval Street since 1942, closed. A.J. Galloway, son of the founder, announced he was moving to central Florida and taking a long rest.

1976 – The Singleton Corporation announced they had bought Sea Farms, Inc. and the Thompson & O’Neal Shrimp Company. The purchase included most of the waterfront of Key West Bight.

Summer Reading is on throughout June and July at all branches of the Monroe County Public Library.

1961 – Key West’s Thirteenth Street was renamed to Kennedy Drive, and Fifth Street was changed to Macmillan Drive, to commemorate the meeting of President John F. Kennedy and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan on the island.

This summer, the Key Largo Library branch will Read the Rainbow - stop by the Library for more information and to pick up a bingo card - complete the bingo card tasks to win prizes!

Join us every Thursday during the summer for programs where you can build your own bird feeders, race your own plankton, meet exciting animals and more!

The Key West Library is excited to host the annual Summer Reading program, Dive Into Reading! Take a deep plunge into your favorite book or get swept away on the high seas of dynamic stories!

1959 – Rear Admiral Francis D. McCorkle, Commanding Officer of Naval Station Key West, was unanimously chosen to be Grand Marshal for the island’s annual Armed Forces Day parade. The popular McCorkle, a highly decorated war hero, was considered an “adopted son” by Key Westers.