July 11

A four-masted schooner in Key West harbor, ca. 1920.

1900 – The Key West Library at the Masonic Temple at 315 Simonton Street had 1,600 volumes under Librarian Sallie E. Roberts. The Library was run by the Ladies Improvement Association. The officers of the Association were: Mrs. C.F. Kemp, president; Miss Carrie Messina, vice president; Mrs. Lydia E. Moss, secretary and Mrs. Benjamin Curry, treasurer.

1910 – The four-masted schooners Carrie A. Lowe and the Charles A. Dumas came into Key West with supplies for the Florida East Coast Railroad and the Mallory Steamship Lines. With their arrival, there were five four-masted schooners in the harbor.

1966 – The Little Minor League Baseball Field was renamed the David McCurdy Midget League Field. McCurdy was instrumental in helping set up recreational facilities in Key West.

1970 – The U.S. Census early count of Key West for 1970 was 30,613, which was a drop in population from 1960 by 3,343. The city disputed the count but the final numbers were even lower at 29,312.

1975 – A drilling rig employed by the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority reached a depth of 2,155 feet while exploring at Marathon. The FKAA hoped to open a well of brackish water of a quality suitable for conversion to potable water by reverse osmosis treatment. Only saltwater was found. 

1980 – The Monroe County Advertising Commission was trying to turn around the tourism business losses from the bad press about the Mariel boatlift by allocating an additional $10,000 from its budget for advertising in South Florida.

1984 – The Port Bougainvillea development on North Key Largo was forced to stop construction because of the default of its primary lender.

1985 – Workers discovered a cache of 15-inch cannonballs at Key West’s Fort Taylor. The large diameter shot, each weighing 480 pounds, were meant to be fired from the fort’s 25-ton Civil War-era Rodman guns, the largest mounted there. It was the first time such ammunition had ever been found at the fort.

Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: A four-masted schooner in Key West harbor, ca. 1920. The Heritage House Collection, donated by the Campbell, Poirier and Pound families. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.