March 19

Preparing to reinstall the clock tower of Old City Hall on Greene Street in March 1976.

1926 – Samuel J. Wilde of Boston purchased Crawl Key near Marathon from Mary Porter Harris, wife of the late Judge W. Hunt Harris, of Key West. Wilde was surveying the island to divide it into lots, and he also planned to build a yacht club and fishing camp there.

1929 – The annual convention of the Florida Sheriff’s Association opened at Key West’s La Concha Hotel. Monroe County Sheriff Cleveland Niles presented a key to the city to President Bob Baker.

1953 – Southern Bell Telephone Company installed their 6,000th phone on the Key West switchboard.

1953 – A plan for the protection of the endangered Florida Key Deer was agreed upon in Washington by Congressman Bill Lantaff, officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and representatives of the Wildlife Federation.

1956 – The Key West City Commission lifted the post-6 p.m. ban on parking along Duval Street after hearing pleas from area business owners that the policy was creating a “ghost town.”

1972 – The American Sportsmen’s Inn Motel opened for business at 3820 North Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West.

1976 – A new cupola for a community clock was placed atop the restored tower at Key West’s Old City Hall on Greene St. The design was faithful to the building’s original 1892 construction.

1994 – A Chalk’s Airline seaplane crashed during take-off from Key West Harbor, killing the two pilots. No passengers were on board.

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

Image: Preparing to reinstall the clock tower of Old City Hall on Greene Street in March 1976. Ida Woodward Barron collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.