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September 12
1935 – A tally of casualties from the Upper Keys hurricane showed 285 veterans employed as bridge workers were dead or missing, and 101 were injured and hospitalized. Of civilian residents, 125 were dead, and 151 were hospitalized.

Florida Keys History Center
4 days ago2 min read


September 6
1946 – Key West City Manager J.S. Ellingsen announced the city was taking immediate steps to provide housing for customs and immigration officials at the East Martello military reservation, so the 17.1-acre tract could become part of a planned municipal airport and port of entry.

Florida Keys History Center
Sep 51 min read


September 4
1984 – Harry Knight won the Democratic primary race and was automatically reelected as Monroe County Tax Collector. Other winners were Circuit Court Judge Richard Fowler, Public Defender Rand Winter, and School Board Member Dr. Geraldine Caron.

Florida Keys History Center
Sep 31 min read


August 6
1926 – Boy Scout Troop No.1 of Key West was encamped at Pigeon Key. “There is some of the best fishing and swimming in the world to be had two hundred feet from camp. The boys say that this is the best time they have ever had,” wrote scoutmaster Charles Sands.

Florida Keys History Center
Aug 52 min read


July 25
1986 – Monroe County Commissioners voted to open the county’s three landfill sites once a month with no disposal fees. The move was prompted by the increased dumping of garbage and junk in empty lots throughout the Keys.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 242 min read


June 28
1926 – After serving 29 years at the Convent of Mary Immaculate, Sister Louis Gabriel left Key West for a new assignment. Sister Louis was a much-beloved teacher, and she had taken care of injured soldiers in the Spanish-American War and established a grotto on church grounds to protect Key West from hurricanes. She said she hoped to return to the island, but the decision would be up to Mother Superior.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 271 min read


June 26
1956 – With high rates of employment and with Key Westers having relatively high incomes, island businesses were going through a boom time as local retail sales for the year totaled $31,286,000, a marked increase over the $23,058,000 figure of the year before.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 252 min read


June 24
1926 – Jumbo, a loggerhead sea turtle, celebrated his third birthday at the aquarium at the eastern end of Key West. Jumbo had been hatched in a sandbox onboard Peter Roberts’ fishing boat and then hand-raised alongside Roberts’ dock for two years, before being transferred to the aquarium because of his increasing size.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 232 min read


June 23
2011 – After much discussion over a development agreement, the Spottswood Cos. announced they would be redeveloping the Faro Blanco property in Marathon as a resort and marina. The resort would have 106 units, including 14 for workforce housing, and the marina would have 100 slips bayside and 100 slips oceanside.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 221 min read


June 17
1946 – The Marathon Chamber of Commerce said the community had grown to the point that the establishment of banking facilities was essential, and the group was starting a movement to establish a bank there.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 162 min read


June 4
1960 – The Old Island Restoration Foundation was formed to restore and maintain the traditional atmosphere and architecture peculiar to Key West. The officers were: Reta Sawyer, chairman; Ruth Holtsberg, first vice chairman; Joan T. Knight, second vice chairman; Mary L. Graham, secretary; and J.J. Pinder, treasurer.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 32 min read


May 29
1962 – A team from the Florida Road Department was in Key West to survey for the possibility of constructing a bridge across Garrison Bight. The proposed bridge, running from somewhere between First and Fifth Streets and connecting to Palm Avenue, would ease traffic congestion and provide a base for a new marina.

Florida Keys History Center
May 282 min read


May 10
1956 – Two Key West political candidates who recently lost their elections were given a demonstration by a representative of the Automatic Voting Machine Company to show how votes recorded by the tallying devices could not be altered without detection.

Florida Keys History Center
May 92 min read


May 8
1854 – A letter from Key West stated that since the beginning of the year there had been 28 vessels wrecked upon the Florida Reef. Salvaged property brought before the court was valued at $256,189.74, with wreckers awarded $46,989.92 – an average of 18 cents paid to the wreckers for every dollar of property they saved.

Florida Keys History Center
May 72 min read


May 7
1946 – The Key West General Hospital invited eight physicians to be on its consulting staff: Drs. Thomas O. Otto, surgeon; E. Clay Shaw, urologist; Sterling E. Nichols, cardiologist; Michael Price DeBoe, ENT; Ralph Jack, obstetrician; Wiley M. Sams, dermatologist; and Francis W. Glenn, orthopedist.

Florida Keys History Center
May 62 min read


May 6
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.

Florida Keys History Center
May 52 min read


May 5
1989 – The Key West Economic Review Committee proposed that a 25-cent fee be charged to every person watching the sunset from Mallory Square, which would generate nearly $100,000 annually.

Florida Keys History Center
May 42 min read


May 4
1946 – Four Key West bars – Duffy’s Tavern at 506 Fleming; Boat Bar at 503 Duval; Bahama Club at 519 Duval; and Raoul’s Place on Smith Lane – were warned that their licenses could soon be revoked because they were within 300 feet of the San Carlos building, which housed a school.

Florida Keys History Center
May 32 min read


May 2
1951 – Monroe County commissioners, supported by the Lower Keys Property Owners Association, unanimously opposed Congressman Bill Lantalf’s bill to create a Key deer protection area on Big Pine Key. “I do not see why hundreds of miles of land is needed for 15-20 deer,” said Commissioner Frank Bentley.

Florida Keys History Center
May 12 min read


April 26
1942 – The USS Sturtevant (DD 240) strayed into the U.S. Navy’s anti-submarine minefield while leaving Key West via the Northwest Channel and was sunk with a loss of 17 men.

Florida Keys History Center
Apr 252 min read
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