July 12

The Wm. Curry's Sons Co. building on Front Street, with banners and two towers, taken from the Jefferson Hotel, ca. 1900.

1906 – Miss Elaine Cassidy was voted the most popular young lady at a dance given at La Brisa in Key West, and she was presented with a set of gold mounted combs. Cecile O’Brien and Rose Schwartz were runners-up.

1926 – Clarence Shoemaker of the U.S. National Museum stopped in Key West on his way to the Carnegie Laboratory at the Dry Tortugas to study amphipods, small crustaceans that constituted an important food source for many fish. He expected his studies would ultimately aid commercial fishermen.

1945 – A plaque of polished brass was presented by the Florida State Chamber of Commerce to Key West’s William Curry’s Sons Company, recognizing the business for being in operation more than 100 years.

1946 – An inadequate supply of chlorine was hampering operation of the sump at Key West’s No.2 sewage disposal plant at Palm Avenue and North Beach Road in the Garrison Bight area. A new chlorinator was needed to get the sump to its

normal daily treatment of 1 ½ million gallons of sewage.

1966 – Ground was broken on Stock Island to begin construction on the seawater conversion plant. The plant, designed by Westinghouse, would produce 2.62 million gallons of fresh water per day from sea water.

1976 – A 30-bed nursing home facility opened at Florida Keys Memorial Hospital on Stock Island. It had 18 private rooms and 12 semi-private; monthly rates ranged from $500 to $850.

1995 – A Monroe County Public Library branch opened on Big Pine Key.

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

Image: The Wm. Curry's Sons Co. building on Front Street, with banners and two towers, taken from the Jefferson Hotel, ca. 1900. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.