1956 – Florida State Senator Wm. Neblett was calling on Keys residents to provide old maps of the Dry Tortugas. Two small islets, both known as “Sand Key,” were once visible but had since submerged; their existence needed to be proved to help the state to retain control of the area.

1956 – Monroe County engineers presented plans for new amenities at Indian Key Fill to the commission. The planned improvements included four round, concrete bathhouses with showers, along with picnic tables and benches.

1985 – The 297-foot ocean freighter Eagle was sunk as an artificial reef in 100 feet of water off Islamorada. The project was sponsored by the Florida Keys Artificial Reef Association and the Keys Association of Dive Operators.

1960 – The Key West City Christmas tree was planted atop a heavy concrete column in the middle of the intersection of Duval and Fleming streets. Many residents were concerned that it was only a matter of time before someone crashed into it.

1955 – An eight-event race card was topped by a 30-lap feature race at the new Stock Island Speedway. Over 1,500 fans were on hand to watch drivers from the Key West Stock Car Association compete with rival racers from Miami.

1921 – Capt. John W. Pierce retired after serving 62 years as a coast and bar pilot at Key West, where he was generally considered the dean of pilots between Hampton Roads and Pensacola. Pierce was born on the island in 1839, to parents who had emigrated from Bermuda.

1937 – The Florida Keys Hurricane Monument on Upper Matecumbe Key was dedicated. The Monument was in memory of those who lost their lives in the Labor Day Storm of 1935, and the ashes of 23 of the victims were interred at the site.

1960 – After five years of service, the Key West-Havana ferry made its final crossing from Cuba. The official reason for the suspension of service was a lack of patrons, but it also came as tensions were increasing between the U.S. and Fidel Castro’s new government.  

1925 – The Norwegian steamship Capto arrived in Key West via the Panama Canal to discharge a cargo of 5 million feet of lumber from British Columbia. It was one of the largest lumber shipments in island history.

1875 - Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, son of a Cuban revolutionary leader of the same name, was elected Mayor of Key West. The younger de Cespedes also served as president of the Revolutionary Club of Key West and would himself be a fighter for Cuba’s independence from Spain.

1951 – The City Planning Board approved a zoning change for Dairy Queen to build an ice cream store on United Street near White Street.

1960 – Poucher’s grocery store in Islamorada was purposefully destroyed by fire when, after days without power from Hurricane Donna, it was determined the rotting meats and vegetables inside were becoming a health hazard.

1960 – Hurricane Donna passed over the Middle and Upper Keys with 150-mph winds, causing extensive damage: Over half of the structures from Marathon to Islamorada were destroyed; tides were 9 to 13.5 feet above normal; six highway bridges were severely damaged, and the water pipeline was wrecked in five places.

1935 – The most intense hurricane to hit the United States passed over Long Key and Lower Matecumbe Key. The category five storm had a barometer reading of 26.35, winds estimated at around 200 mph, and tides 18 to 20 feet above normal. The storm killed over 400 people, many of them WWI veterans employed in building new highway bridges, and put the already financially troubled Overseas Railroad out of business.

1962 – The House Appropriations Committee in Washington approved a $2,516,000 expenditure for a new bachelor officers’ quarters building to be located on the Trumbo Seaplane Base. The new facility would be centrally located and replace all existing BOQs on the base.

1945 – The northern portion of Lower Matecumbe Key, comprising 352 acres, was sold for $56,250 to a development group through Marathon realtor W.A. Parrish. The southern portion of the key had been purchased a few weeks before for the same price, meaning that in the two transactions the entirety of Lower Matecumbe sold for $112,500.

1957 – Miguel Garcia became the first person to water ski from Havana to Key West, accomplishing the feat in four hours and 15 minutes and using one ski. Garcia was backed by the Cuban National Sports Commission and the Key West Chamber of Commerce, which held a reception for him after his landing.

1958 – Famed band leader Guy Lombardo announced he was buying the Shamrock Restaurant and Key Colony Beach Club from Phil Sadowski. Lombardo said the Florida Keys should expect to see more of him and his band, the Royal Canadians.

1955 – Key West photographer Larry Karns was holding an exhibit of recent work at his 220 Duval Street studio. The focus of his new images was the “fast disappearing” architecture found in the island’s decaying homes, forts, and cigar factories.

1966 – The Lighthouse Military Museum opened in the former Key West lighthouse keeper’s quarters on Whitehead Street.