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August 12
1946 – After being re-tested, the waters of South Beach in Key West were declared safe and free of all disease germs. Staff from the Navy Hospital had issued a warning earlier in the week saying the beach was contaminated, unsafe for bathing, and off-limits to Navy personnel.

Florida Keys History Center
Aug 112 min read


July 23
1950 - The USO/YMCA at the corner of Whitehead and Southard streets provided services and entertainment to the military men stationed in Key West.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 222 min read


July 21
1957 – Someone stole $7,311.89 from the Food Fair supermarket in Key West. The money was taken from the store’s safe, which was not broken into and had instead been opened by a combination known only to a few. “We have a very limited number of suspects,” said Key West Police.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 202 min read


July 19
1907 – The Excavator No.1 boat was blown up and destroyed by a gasoline explosion while employed on the Florida East Coat Railroad extension. Capt. Benjamin Peacon and Sonny Parks of Key West were severely burned and brought to the island for treatment.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 181 min read


July 18
1914 – Morris Garfunkel, who had long owned the Gulf City Furniture Company in Key West, announced he would soon be leaving the island to engage in business in Detroit, Michigan.

Monroe County Public Library
Jul 172 min read


July 15
1962 – Rudy’s Bar was at 124 Duval Street, occupying the former Key West Custom House building, which had been moved to the location in 1891.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 141 min read


July 13
1917 - Ground was broken for the first Naval Air Station on Trumbo Point. The new air facility was on land rented from the Florida East Coast Railroad.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 122 min read


July 9
1974 – Fire destroyed the La Plaza grocery at 630 Fleming Street in Key West and an adjacent store and conch house at 628 and 624 Fleming. An Elizabeth Street home was damaged. The grocery building, across from the Key West Library, originally housed Pierce Bros. Hardware, established 75 years earlier.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 82 min read


July 8
1962 – Key West City Commissioner John dePoo was demanding that the archway signs proclaiming Telegraph Lane to be “Mitchell Wolfson Way” be removed as they had never been formally approved.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 72 min read


July 7
1990 – Key West Mayor Tony Tarracino and Corrine Crockett of Blue Heaven, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, cut the ribbon for the first Bahama Village Caribbean Festival. Musician Coffee Butler provided live entertainment, and island food and handicrafts were available along Petronia Street. Similar festivals were planned for the first Sunday of every month.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 62 min read


June 12
1942 – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Thetis sank the German submarine U-157 22 miles south of the Marquesas Keys by dropping seven depth charges around it. The kill was confirmed when clothing and other debris from the sub floated to the surface. The U-157 was the only U-Boat sunk in South Florida during World War II.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 112 min read


May 14
1959 – Rear Admiral Francis D. McCorkle, Commanding Officer of Naval Station Key West, was unanimously chosen to be Grand Marshal for the island’s annual Armed Forces Day parade. The popular McCorkle, a highly decorated war hero, was considered an “adopted son” by Key Westers.

Florida Keys History Center
May 132 min read


April 3
1955 – Southern Bell Telephone Company installed new dial equipment that gave all 8,700 phones in Key West new numbers.

Florida Keys History Center
Apr 22 min read
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