1873 – Lodge No. 13 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was instituted at Key West.

1975 – The City of Key West was awarded a federal grant of $201,000 for its “Downtown ’76” restoration and redevelopment project. The funds would be used to make improvements along Duval Street in time for the nation’s Bicentennial observance.

1980 – A one-day record of 5,117 refugees arrived at Key West during the boatlift from Mariel, Cuba.

1954 – Taxi drivers from two cab companies petitioned the Key West City Commission for exclusive rights to their traditional stand on Duval Street near Greene. They said outside drivers were moving in, which was creating crowding and a traffic hazard.

1955 – Key West photographer Larry Karns was holding an exhibit of recent work at his 220 Duval Street studio. The focus of his new images was the “fast disappearing” architecture found in the island’s decaying homes, forts, and cigar factories.

A summary of Summer Reading 2025 programs and events at Big Pine Library!

1975 – A new turbine for the FKAA desalination plant on Stock Island arrived at Key West via an emergency Air Sunshine flight. A severe drought had caused Lower Keys water levels to drop very low, and desalinated seawater was crucial to getting through the dry spell.

Two newly added collections, of British Cinema & TV and Kanopy Favorites, offer unlimited plays.

Get Uncommon Measure as an eBook or eAudiobook on Libby, with no waitlists and no holds, May 15-29.

1980 – As the Mariel boatlift continued to grow, President Jimmy Carter ordered 400 U.S. Marines to Key West to take charge of Cuban refugee management.

1955 – Work on the stands for the Key West High School Stadium was well underway, and the job was expected to be completed within the week. When done, the stands would seat 3,076 people.

1957 – A ground-breaking ceremony was held for construction of the Key West Moose Lodge on Eisenhower Drive. The organization had recently purchased the lot for the club’s new home.

"Our Stories Fit Together" is the 2025 Summer Reading theme at the Islamorada Library branch.

2000 – Long-time Key West resident Marion Stevens died. In the early 1960s, Stevens opened the Artists Unlimited gallery on Duval Street, a focal point of the island’s arts community for the next 30 years. She was also active in Key West politics and was a leader of the successful anti-high-rise movement in the 1970s.

1955 – Monroe County commissioners deeded 1/2-acre of land near Hilton Haven to the Key West Lions Club. The County retained all mineral rights for the property, though.

Download the Monroe County Public Library Policy Manual or offer feedback to the Library.

1961 – ABC Television aired an episode of the series “Expedition” featuring Marathon and the Middle Keys, with a focus on the area’s recovery from Hurricane Donna.

2000 – The Florida Department of Community Affairs awarded Key West an additional 54 units of affordable housing under the Rate of Growth Ordinance (ROGO) because the city had preserved the Berg property, an unaltered beachfront area and home to many species of indigenous Keys plants and animals.

1860 – The U.S. Navy steamer Mohawk brought the captured slave ship Wildfire into Key West Harbor. The Wildfire had 510 Africans on board – people taken from the Congo River region and intended to be sold into slavery in Cuba. The Wildfire was in violation of U.S. and international law, and the Navy had been searching for such lawbreakers.

1963 – Entomologists were zeroing in a species of whitefly recently found on Stock Island as the spreader of a lethal yellowing virus that was destroying coconut palms. Since its first appearance in Key West in 1954, the disease had killed 80% of Lower Keys coconut trees.