May 26

The Navy Club at 116 Fitzpatrick Street, Key West, ca. 1940.

1888 – A carrier pigeon message service was established by the signal office at Key West. The purpose of the new service was to bring the island into better communication with the Bahamas. General Greely ordered the necessary loft fixtures and training baskets for 500 birds.

1907 – The Chamber of Commerce voted to employ counsel to prosecute firms using the Key West name on boxes of cigars not made in the city.

1955 – To “protect the efficiency, health, and welfare of military personnel,” the U.S. Navy declared three Key West businesses “off limits” for all enlisted men and officers: The 116 Club at 116 Fitzpatrick Street; a rooming house at 119 Duval Street; and The Tattoo at 713 ½ Duval Street.

1958 – Plantation Key was being used as the base of operations for the filming the feature movie “Secret Cargo.”

1975 – A group of young Key West lobster fishermen returned home after being detained by the Cuban government. The seven had left Stock Island when their boat broke down and they drifted into Cuban waters. The Cuban government reportedly feared they were poaching or conducting anti-Castro activities. 

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

Image: The Navy Club at 116 Fitzpatrick Street, Key West, ca. 1940. From the DeWolfe and Wood Collection in the Otto Hirzel Scrapbook. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.