June 26

An aerial view of the Marquesas Keys with breakouts showing Navy target areas and observation posts, ca. 1960.

1894 – Walter C. Maloney, Jr. died at the age of 55. A Florida native, he served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He served as Mayor of Key West from 1889 to 1891. He was also tax collector and assessor for Key West and Monroe County Attorney.

1930 – A freight train wrecked at Grassy Key in the overnight hours, but, because wrecking crews cleared the tracks in a timely manner, it caused little delay for the arrival of the morning train at Key West.

1940 – The National Tourist Commission of Cuba corrected the Key West Citizen’s report that passports and visas would be required of visiting Key Westers and other Americans. “U.S. citizens may continue to visit this country under the same conditions as heretofore, that is, no passport will be required,” it stated.

1959 – The Navy announced it was building a new target area and observation towers at the Marquesas Keys as part of a “high altitude live bombing range.” The target would be placed two and one-eighth miles west of the islands, with the towers erected onshore. No damage to natural resources was expected.

1980 – Art McKee Jr. died at age 69. He was one of the first men to gain fame for finding sunken Spanish treasure off the Florida Keys. He founded the Museum of Sunken Treasure on Plantation Key.

2015 – The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, and many Key West residents celebrated in the streets, particularly at the “rainbow crosswalk” at Angela and Duval, by carrying flags and banners.

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

Image: An aerial view of the Marquesas Keys with breakouts showing Navy target areas and observation posts, ca. 1960. From the Ida Woodward Barron Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.