July 11
- Florida Keys History Center
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
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 first FEC train to enter Key West crossed from Stock Island to deliver a load of material for the laying of track to Trumbo Island.
1946 – A “black market” movie theater was operating in a tent in the 400 block of Catherine Street in Key West. The theater was admitting children under 16 in defiance of a ban prohibiting youngsters from gathering in public places during the polio epidemic.
1970 – The preliminary 1970 U.S. Census count for Key West showed a population of 30,613, which was a drop of 3,343 from 1960. The City disputed the count, but the final numbers proved even lower at 29,312.
1976 – The large, new Key West Port and Transit Authority building at 627 Palm Avenue was dedicated to the memory of the recently deceased City Commissioner William Gamble.
1980 – The Monroe County Advertising Commission allocated an additional $10,000 from its budget for advertising in South Florida to help turn around tourism losses resulting from damaging press about the Mariel Boatlift.
1984 – The Port Bougainvillea development on Key Largo was forced to stop construction because of the default of its primary lender.
2001 – The possibility of a new U.S. Border Patrol office and holding facility in the “old town” section of Marathon had some residents fearful for the community’s safety. The agency was searching for a Middle Keys location to process an increasing number of smugglers, refugees, and other aliens.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The shrimp boat Wayward Wind III and others with Cuban refugees at Key West's Pier B during the Mariel Boatlift, 1980. From the Ida Woodward Barron Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.