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July 2
1976 – The Key West Comparsa dancers and musicians left for St. Augustine to participate in the “Florida on Parade” Bicentennial celebration. They also planned to perform in the island’s Bicentennial parade on July 5, after their return.

Florida Keys History Center
Jul 12 min read


June 22
1991 – Monroe County staff and nearly 100 volunteers collected more than 100 tons of garbage during the “Great Stock Island Clean-up.” The island had long been plagued by illegal dumping.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 212 min read


June 7
1923 – The local Key West baseball team defeated the visiting Havana Police Department contingent 5 to 3. Will Daughtry and “Midget” Sevilla were the outstanding players.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 62 min read


June 5
1905 – The Island City Bank was organized in Key West, and the following officers were elected: George S. Waite, president; C.R. Pierce, vice president; and E.M. Martin, cashier. The board of directors were: T.A. Sweeting, J.M. Phipps, J.T. Sawyer, and Richard Peacon.

Florida Keys History Center
Jun 42 min read


May 30
1931 – Key West golf champion Robert Spottswood and six-time Havana women’s champion Mabel Stanford played an exhibition match at the Key West course, with Spottswood emerging victorious. Sanford, who had lived in Key West as a child, said the course was one of the trickiest she had played.

Florida Keys History Center
May 292 min read


May 25
1954 – The Navy blimp ZPG-2, the world’s largest at 342 feet long, landed at Boca Chica Naval Air Station after being aloft for more than 200 hours without refueling – a new record. It had traveled from New Jersey and through the Caribbean before landing.

Florida Keys History Center
May 242 min read


May 16
1976 – The Singleton Seafood Corporation announced they had bought Sea Farms, Inc. and Thompson & O’Neal Shrimp Company. The purchase included most of the working waterfront of the Key West Bight.

Florida Keys History Center
May 152 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 1
1926 – Two men attempted to break into the Key West Custom House by drilling a 12-inch diameter hole through the basement wall, hoping to access the area where seized liquor, jewelry, cigars, narcotics, and other valuables were kept. A night watchman encountered the men and fired shots at them, but they escaped via the waterfront.

Florida Keys History Center
Apr 302 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 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


April 12
1936 – Norberg Thompson’s Overseas Transportation Company was awarded a contract to truck mail to and from Key West on an everyday basis, providing the island with daily mail service.

Florida Keys History Center
Apr 111 min read


April 10
1956 – Max Marmorstein sold the Casa Marina Hotel for $800,000 to businessman Beale Poste of Granville, Ohio. Marmorstein had owned the luxury hotel since 1950.

Florida Keys History Center
Apr 92 min read


April 1
1986 – Construction began on a project to widen U.S. 1 in Marathon from two lanes to four lanes from 37th to 107th Streets. Work was expected to be completed in late 1987.

Florida Keys History Center
Mar 311 min read


March 30
1926 – A delegation appointed by the Monroe County Commission traveled to the Matecumbe Keys to help find the best route through those islands for a new highway. Some Matecumbe residents feared land values would plummet if the planned road traversed their properties, and the delegates hoped to ease their minds.

Florida Keys History Center
Mar 292 min read


March 29
1955 – Albert Bosa revived the Key West Comparsa dancers. They held rehearsals at the Cuban Club.

Florida Keys History Center
Mar 282 min read


March 14
1956 – State Representative Bernie C. Papy announced that a contract had been let for the construction of catwalks along eight bridges on the Overseas Highway. The catwalks would get fishermen off the roadway and outside of the guard rails, eliminating a dangerous situation.

Florida Keys History Center
Mar 132 min read


March 8
1936 – The Monroe County Commission moved to negotiate with the Florida East Coast Railway Company towards acquiring the railroad’s right-of-way through the Florida Keys. If successful, the County would then use the railroad’s right-of-way and bridges for the Overseas Highway.

Florida Keys History Center
Mar 82 min read


March 6
1976 – Huddle Pontiac Buick of Key West became an authorized dealer of the electric Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar. The two-passenger vehicle had a 38-mph cruising speed and a maximum range of 50 miles, with a base price of $2,738.

Florida Keys History Center
Mar 62 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
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