May 18
- Florida Keys History Center
- May 17
- 1 min read

1887 – James A. Waddell, a leading Key West merchant, donated a large bell to the city after the Fire Chief pointed out the necessity of a community fire bell.
1913 – Agustin Parla Orduna, a Key West native, flew his sea plane to Cuba, becoming the second man to fly across the Florida Straits.
1926 – Roland Curry, Sheriff of Monroe County, who had been injured two days before when he was caught between a capsized boat and the rocks on the shore of the Bahama Islands, died at his residence in the jail building.
1955 – The Navy announced plans to build 83 housing units at the end of United Street on the Key West Naval Station. The land had been leased to Monroe County and was being used as Ocean View Park, a segregated beach for African American residents.
1962 – Approval was given by state authorities for a sewage disposal plant on Stock Island to be part of the proposed Lincoln Manor housing development at the site of the Riviera Theater. County health officials doubted the adequacy of the design in preventing sewage from leaking into nearshore waters.
1975 – The Florida Keys Community College gave the School Board 8.5 acres of land on Stock Island to be used to build Gerald Adams Elementary School.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A bust of Agustin Parla Orduna outside the old Key West International Airport, ca. 1970. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.