May 12

716 Duval Street, Key West, in 1975.

1910 – The first rail spike was driven from the Key West end of the Overseas Railroad at the yard on Trumbo Island.

1945 – The Florida Keys Aqueduct Commission announced that Key West’s water supply would be shut off for 24 hours at 6:30 a.m. the following day. No water would be available until service resumed.

1959 – Gulf Oil Corporation was drilling an oil well at the Marquesas Keys 14 miles west of Key West. There was a 40-man force living on the work platform.

1975 – The City of Key West was awarded a federal grant of $201,000 for its “Downtown ’76” restoration and redevelopment project. The funds would be used to make improvements along Duval Street in time for the nation’s Bicentennial observance.

1989 – Frank Romano and Joe Liszka announced that Key West Aloe would move its cosmetics production facility to Florida City.

2000 – To make Smathers Beach softer and deeper for turtle nesting season, the City of Key West began tilling the shorefront in preparation for adding a new layer of sand.

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

Image: 716 Duval Street, Key West, in 1975. From the archives of Edwin O. Swift III. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.