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September 3
1986 – Spurred by overwhelming neighborhood opposition to the plan, the Key West City Commission denied a request for the conversion of the former St. Stephen Church building at 330 Julia Street into a restaurant.

Florida Keys History Center
Sep 21 min read


August 11
1934 – Florida Governor Dave Sholtz arrived in Key West for his annual inspection of the Florida National Guard, which was in camp for two weeks of training at Fort Taylor.

Florida Keys History Center
Aug 102 min read


July 24
1865 – Dr. Samuel Mudd, Edward Spangler, Michael O'Laughlen, and Samuel Arnold – all convicted as conspirators in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln – arrived at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas to serve their prison terms. They joined 552 other prisoners being held there.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 232 min read


July 22
1926 – The new issue of the Lighthouse Service Bulletin explained how drinking water was obtained for the light stations along the Florida Reef: Rainwater that fell on the painted lighthouse structures was caught and carried by gutters and pipes to 8,000-gallon storage tanks, a method that had been practiced for nearly 75 years.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 212 min read


June 27
1994 – The number of Cuban refugees who successfully crossed the Florida Straits in 1994 surpassed the 3,656 who completed the journey in 1993. Authorities estimated that only 4 out of 10 who attempted the crossing were successful.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 262 min read


June 6
1992 – Key West’s El Salvador United Methodist Church disbanded after 115 years.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 52 min read


May 9
1956 – The members of the First Baptist Church in Key West voted to build a new church building at their property on the corner of Eaton and Bahama streets, after the previous structure had been destroyed by fire a month earlier.

Florida Keys History Center
May 82 min read


April 28
1968 – National Air Lines made the first jet landing at Key West International Airport using a Boeing 727. The county had extended the runway and removed obstructions to make the airport usable for jets.

Florida Keys History Center
Apr 272 min read


April 20
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.

Florida Keys History Center
Apr 192 min read


March 26
1926 – The Brethren meeting at the Gospel Chapel at 720 Southard Street in Key West began a three-day conference that would run until the close of Sunday evening services.

Monroe County Public Library
Mar 252 min read


March 16
1956 – A new 36-by-86-foot educational building for the Marathon Baptist Temple was nearing completion. The building, being built by contractor D.W. Barlow, was expected to open in a week.

Florida Keys History Center
Mar 152 min read


March 5
1961 – The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Key West officially organized as a congregation of the United Lutheran Church. The congregation had 70 adults and 46 children.

Florida Keys History Center
Mar 52 min read


February 26
1962 – Astronaut John Glenn left Key West to join President Kennedy at Palm Beach. Glenn had spent a quiet weekend with his family at the Key West Naval Base so he could rest and undergo medical evaluation after his successful orbit around earth. Glenn was the first American to make such a flight.

Florida Keys History Center
Feb 262 min read


February 24
1937 – Construction of the José Martí Monument in Bayview Park began when Raoul A. Pizer y Pollo, representing the government of Cuba, presented the structure’s cornerstone to Key West Mayor Harry C. Galey.

Florida Keys History Center
Feb 242 min read


February 4
1908 – The first train fully equipped for carrying passengers over the Overseas Railroad left Miami for Knights Key at 11 a.m. The train, consisting of six coaches and Henry Flagler’s private car, was an official excursion and no tickets were sold for the journey.

Florida Keys History Center
Feb 42 min read


December 25
1955 – The home of Angel Delgado at 1010 Washington Street was chosen as having the best display in the Key West Junior Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas lighting contest. The home of Everett Hall at 3 Hibiscus Lane placed second.

Florida Keys History Center
Dec 25, 20252 min read


December 20
1897 – Schooners leaving Key West were given warning shots by the U.S.S. Maine as a command for them to halt. The vessels were boarded by officers from the battleship and searched for arms and ammunition that might be used to illegally supply revolutionary forces in Cuba. None were found.

Florida Keys History Center
Dec 20, 20252 min read


December 14
1888 – The construction contract for a new Key West Custom House on Front Street at Clinton Place was awarded. The structure would be completed at a cost of $107,955.96 and occupied in the later part of 1891.

Florida Keys History Center
Dec 14, 20251 min read


December 12
1935 – Biologist Emory Lowe Pierce of the Key West Aquarium received notice that his proposal for a crawfish and stone crab hatchery had been approved by Washington. Pierce said that as soon as he could set up the equipment, the process of hatching the crustaceans would begin.

Florida Keys History Center
Dec 12, 20252 min read


November 19
1924 – The cornerstone of the new St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Center Street in Key West was laid by the Reverend Cameron Mann, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Florida.

Florida Keys History Center
Nov 19, 20252 min read
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