July 29
- Florida Keys History Center
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
1905 – Antonio Betancourt of the Island City Saloon was arrested for selling whisky to a group of boys, ages seven to 10. There was considerable consternation in the city because of the very young age of the boys who purchased the liquor and the fact that many “got beastly drunk from the effects of it.” O.G. Brooks, attorney for the Liquor Dealers Association, defended Betancourt and called into question the parents’ management of their children.
1926 – The Monroe County Board of Public Instruction opened the bidding process for the construction of a kindergarten building at the corner of South and Reynolds streets and a high school annex at White and Seminary streets. Both projects had been long needed in Key West.
1939 – Electric generators were installed at Carysfort Reef, Sombrero Key, and American Shoals Lighthouses, with electric lights to replace the incandescent oil vapor lights that had been in use since 1910.
1958 – The Key West Housing Authority announced that the housing project on Whitehead Street would be named for Robert Gabriel. Gabriel, an African American, served as state representative from Monroe County in 1879, and he was also on the Key West City Commission from 1905 to 1909.
1966 – A&R Ambulance Service of Key West was converting to a subscription model. Under the plan, subscribers would be entitled to unlimited service for $10 a year. The company also planned to sign a contract with the City of Key West to answer all police calls for ambulance service for $4,500 per year.
1966 – The Marathon branch of the Monroe County Public Library moved to new, air-conditioned quarters in the courthouse substation. Since 1962, the branch had been in the former thrift shop building of the Catholic Church, which was so small that patrons often had to wait outside until there was room enough to enter.
1986 – Florida Governor Bob Graham and the Cabinet approved the Monroe County Land Use Plan, which would restrict development of Florida Keys properties deemed environmentally sensitive by state agencies.
2011 – The Monroe County Public Library’s online archive of historic photos surpassed 1 million views.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Reynolds School at 1320 Reynolds Street, Key West, ca. 1930. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
