July 5

Wall and Company Warehouse on Mallory Docks in 1963, when it was the Key West Convention Center.

1830 – Norman Sherwood killed John Wilson in a fight in a grog shop on Key West’s Front Street. It was the first recorded murder on the island.

1926 – Key West celebrated Independence Day under the slogan “Safe and Sane,” a motto that was adhered to. Baseball games and golf matches were played, Boy Scouts had athletic events at La Brisa, and boxing matches were held at the Cuban Club Stadium. After dark, fireworks lit the island sky.  

1951 – The Key West Rotary Club was shown a documentary titled “The Fascinating Florida Keys.” The 30-minute color film was produced by the Florida State Advertising Commission to promote tourism to the island chain.

1976 – Just as Key West’s Bicentennial Parade was getting underway, a large fire broke out at 1110 Eaton Street, destroying the home and damaging others on either side of it. The timing of the blaze was similar to events a century before when a fire interrupted the island’s 1876 centennial celebrations.

1978 – Key West Attorney Jack A. Saunders was named United States Magistrate, United States District Court of Florida.

1983 – Underwater researchers working 35 miles west of Key West at New Ground Reef found the bell of the English slave ship Henrietta Marie, sunk in 1700.

1990 – The National Park Service wrote to Key West Mayor Tony Tarracino to express an interest in using the historic Wall & Co. Warehouse at Mallory Square as a visitor center and administrative headquarters for Fort Jefferson National Monument.

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

Image: Wall and Company Warehouse on Mallory Docks in 1963, when it was the Key West Convention Center. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.