1946 – Due to Navy budget restrictions and a decrease in workload, Naval Station Key West’s submarine base announced its civilian workforce would be reduced by 30 percent, or 400 workers. The news was not a surprise as post-war cutbacks had been expected.

1946 – A conceptual plan to use the airfield at Boca Chica for both Navy and civilian purposes was announced by Charles B. Donaldson, Civil Aeronautics Administration Director of Airports. A meeting of interested parties was scheduled for the end of the month to formalize an agreement.

The Marathon Library branch welcomes homeschool families for learning activities every Thursday morning.

1976 – The proprietors of Molina’s bakery at 1121 Margaret Street in Key West donated a 53-year-old bread oven to the Key West Art & Historical Society’s East Martello Museum for its Cuban culture section. After operating seven days a week since 1923, the tile and brick oven had produced millions of loaves of Cuban bread for hungry Key Westers.

2006 – The City of Key West approved developer Pritam Singh’s plan to transform the Hampton Inn on North Roosevelt Boulevard into 74 “Keys-style” condominiums that owners could rent to tourists as de facto hotel rooms. The units would not be eligible for homestead status.

We show movies in the Community Room at 5 pm on the third Wednesday of each month. Join us!

1976 – Key Westers Thurlow and Auwina Weed were bringing national attention to the island art of conch shell horn blowing. The duo had just returned from performing at “Ocean Festival ‘76” in New York, and Thurlow had recently appeared on the popular television program “To Tell the Truth.”

Twenty years ago, the Florida Keys History Center started scanning and posting historic photos online. They have been viewed more than 50 million times.

1961 – Monroe County Commissioner Clarence Higgs died suddenly at his Grinnell Street home in Key West at age 59. Higgs had been on the commission since 1944, and he was active in organized labor, having served as business manager of the local Carpenters’ Union for 22 years.

1936 – Tarpon fishing was becoming increasingly popular in the Keys, and many were being caught around Key West. Two of the more notable catches during the past 10 days were both over 6 feet long, each weighing more than 100 pounds.

1966 – A man driving a green panel truck and claiming to be from the Humane Society was stealing stray dogs from Key West streets. Mrs. Janice White, president of the local Humane Society, said the man had no association with the group and that he was likely selling the dogs to medical laboratories.

1956 – Key Wester Clint Giese was filming an underwater movie of a skin-diving party at the reef for the United Services Organization to highlight recreational activities for Keys service members. Giese, an early U.S. Navy color-movie photographer, had first come to Key West in 1946 to work on underwater sequences for the Navy submarine film “The Silent Service.”

1945 – A plaque of polished brass was presented by the Florida State Chamber of Commerce to Key West’s William Curry’s Sons Company, recognizing the business for being in operation more than 100 years.

1980 – The Monroe County Advertising Commission allocated an additional $10,000 from its budget for advertising in South Florida to help turn around tourism losses resulting from damaging press about the Mariel Boatlift.

1956 – The Monroe County School District had hired 70 new teachers for the upcoming school year, but with a shortage of housing in the area, the Chamber of Commerce put out a call for any available apartments, houses, or rooms to accommodate the new instructors.

The Adult Crafting Corner meets Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Key West Library.

1924 – The Barnes Sound Bridge at Key Largo was completed. As soon as a small stretch of road was finished near Florida City, this would allow motorists to travel between Dade and Monroe counties.

1926 – The Key West trolleys and tracks, along with their accompanying electric lines, began to be removed from city streets. The cars, because they were not of a standard gauge and were of an obsolete “open” style, would be sold for scrap.

Step-by-step guide to Monroe County Public Library resources like Libby, Kanopy, Freegal Music, LawDepot and more.

You can get legal forms in minutes with high-quality, easy-to-use, and completely customizable legal documents and templates with LawDepot, available with your library card.