July 6

Two men with shrimp at Fischer's Sea Food, Key West, ca. 1965.

1882 – Nelson English was named Postmaster of Key West, the first African American to hold that position.

1883 – Sailors from a warship anchored in Key West Harbor were arrested and brought before the court on charges of “riding horses in a manner that threatened pedestrians,” after careening recklessly down Duval Street. The judge dismissed the case, saying the six men had been at sea a long time and deserved some recreation.

1897 – George W. Allen was appointed Collector of Customs, the first native Key Wester to hold that office.

1898 – Corporal Ansburn F. Tower, Company D, 1st DC Infantry, died in the Army Hospital at the Convent from battle wounds suffered in Cuba.

1934 – The Strand Theater on Duval Street was destroyed by fire. The fire was caused by an explosion in the film operating room that killed Jack Perez, the 12-year-old son of Manuel Perez who was working on the projectors.

1958 – Congress approved the Navy’s request to transfer the old Navy Commissary building on United Street to the Monroe County School Board. The building was originally constructed for the Ruth Hargrove Institute in 1911 and taken over by the Navy for use as a Navy Hospital during World War I. It became the Navy Commissary during World War II.

1966 – The Key West Chamber of Commerce agreed to accommodate the multi-million-dollar local seafood industry by adding a board seat for a representative from the trade.

1976 – The Key West City Commission appointed Mary Lee Graham to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Commissioner William Gamble. Graham, long active in civic and community affairs, was the island’s third female commissioner.

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

Image: Two men with shrimp at Fischer's Sea Food, Key West, ca. 1965. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.