1902 – Ground was broken for the foundation of the Key West Armory, and the John Lowe sawmill was cutting timber for the building’s construction.

1912 – The new Monroe Theater at 623 Duval was screening the 1911 Irish feature “Arrah-na-pogue,” with admission at 10, 15 or 20 cents based on seating. The Airdome at 509 Duval Street in Key West was showing the 1903 film “The Great Train Robbery.” Admission was 10 cents for unlimited viewing.

1926 – Monroe County Sheriff Roland Curry arrested the promoter of a Stock Island cockfighting arena while a fight was underway. Fala Rodriguez was charged with cruelty to animals and placed under $100 bond.

Join us at 3:30 pm on Mondays for Journal Writing at the Islamorada Library branch.

Join us at the Islamorada Library branch at 5:30 pm every other Tuesday for the classic roleplaying adventure game. New and experienced players welcome!

1949 – The new Monroe County Beach (now Higgs Beach) was dedicated. Judge Thomas S. Caro spoke, and Frank Bentley, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, made the formal dedication. The County had issued a $350,000 construction bond for the new beach.

2019 – A large majority – 69% – of Key West voters said “Yes” to the city’s purchase of the Key West Citizen building on Northside Drive. The city hoped to house its Community Services department there.

1976 – The Key West Junkanoos left for New Orleans for three days of performances at the 7th annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Fair. The Junkanoos played traditional Bahamian and Caribbean music blended into a Key West style.

1926 – Key West society came out for the opening of the new Key West Country Club. The building was decorated with flags and flowers; draperies and chandeliers adorned the interior. Irene Reynolds and Miss R.T. Vertuen sang, and dancer Little Miss Hansen performed some “unusual steps.”

1892 – The Key West Library Association was organized in the Masonic Temple located over the First National Bank on Simonton Street. Judge James W. Locke was president, Mary A. Taylor, secretary, and J. Fogarty, treasurer. The Association had a public library of 1,200 volumes and a free reading room supported by dues and fees of members and patrons. Mrs. William Delacy was the Librarian.

1936 – Norberg Thompson’s Overseas Transportation Company was awarded a contract to truck mail to and from Key West on an everyday basis, providing the island with daily mail service.

2010 – After a five-year effort by multiple government agencies to clear the area of illegal dwellings and derelict boats, the makeshift fishing village stretching alongside the road near Card Sound Bridge was largely gone.

1956 – Max Marmorstein sold the Casa Marina Hotel for $800,000 to businessman Beale Poste of Granville, Ohio. Marmorstein had owned the luxury hotel since 1950.

1935 – A film crew from Pathé News was in Key West to film interesting aspects of the island. On this date, they documented Raul’s Aquarium on Roosevelt Boulevard.

1988 – The Key West City Commission, sitting as the Board of Adjustment, approved plans to rebuild the Cuban Club at 1102 and 1108 Duval Street. The original building had been destroyed by fire in 1983.

1986 – Monroe County Commissioners wanted to get rid of the Boot Key Bridge, which cost taxpayers thousands of dollars a year to maintain and operate, just so vehicles could access a radio station and trap factory on the otherwise empty island. The bridge tender testified that the bridge had to be opened for boat traffic 1429 times over the previous two months.

A time capsule buried by Key West students in 1976 was unearthed 50 years later, following directions in a letter held at the Florida Keys History Center.

1943 – The USO Club at 303 Duval Street in Key West was dedicated. The Club, located in the old Caroline Lowe House, was operated by the Women’s Division of the National Catholic Community.

1956 – A fisheries report for September 1955 was released that showed Monroe County landed the largest shrimp catch in Florida, with 844,320 pounds brought into Keys ports during the month.

1982 – Suwa, a male dolphin owned by Little Torch Key resident Betty Brothers and kept on her property, attacked a man after he entered the private lagoon to swim with the creature. Suwa rammed the man six times, causing severe liver lacerations and the rupture of a “major” vein in his stomach.