June 1

The Johnson House that stood at 331 Duval Street in Key West, 1930s.

1861 – The Army issued General Order no. 49 directing that no soldier, sailor, or marine was allowed to visit Key West between tattoo and reveille.

1912 – Captain Charles Thompson of the fishing schooner Somoa, while fishing near the Seven Mile Bridge, harpooned a whale shark, and after a struggle of eight hours, forced the shark onto a sand bar. The shark reportedly took five days to die. Thompson towed his catch to Miami and got it on shore. He had the 38-foot, 26,594-pound shark mounted and toured it around the country until it was accidentally destroyed in a fire in 1922.

1926 – On orders from headquarters, immigration inspectors at Key West began wearing new regulation uniforms – pants, blouse, coat and cap made of sanvalo A-6 cloth, “the latest textile creation.”

1930 – The Granday pineapple canning plant owned by Thompson Enterprises opened in Key West with 75 employees. Using imported Cuban pineapples, the plant was able to produce 2,500 cans of fruit a day.

1946 – The Johnson homestead at the corner of Duval and Eaton streets in Key West sold for $9,000. The property had a frontage of 130 feet on Duval and 134 feet on Eaton. It had been in the Johnson family for more than 75 years.

1995 – The owners announced that a 178-room hotel under construction on Truman Annex would be part of the Hilton chain.

2001 – After a judge refused to block their eviction by the city, the last residents of Houseboat Row agreed they would move from the seawall along Key West’s South Roosevelt Boulevard to new slips at Garrison Bight.

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

Image: The Johnson House that stood at 331 Duval Street in Key West, 1930s. Photo from the Louise White Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.