May 7

Accommodations for Cuban refugees inside the hangar at Trumbo Point, Key West, during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift.

1822 – Congress established Key West as a Port of Entry, and Joel Yancy was appointed the first Collector of Customs.

1925 – Judge Hugh Gunn appeared before the Board of Monroe County Commissioners and urged they push state legislators for the creation of a Juvenile Court. The push was successful, and Florida Gov. J.W. Martin named Ileen Williams Monroe County’s first Juvenile Judge.

1961 – The West Coast Overseas Highway Association was formed at Key West with the goal of developing “a wide-laned concrete highway to be strung from No Name Key, hop-scotching across various low-lying keys until it reaches Cape Sable, and from there would connect with the Tamiami Trail…”

1976 – David Brinkley was in Key West filming part of a Bicentennial special to be shown on the NBC television network.

1980 – As the Mariel boatlift continued to grow, President Jimmy Carter ordered 400 U.S. Marines to Key West to take charge of Cuban refugee management.

1990 – Four nuns of the Order of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary had reached a contractual impasse with Father Eugene Quinlan of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Key West. The nuns, whose order had been on the island since 1868, felt their role was to minister to the community and take care of the needy, while Quinlan wanted them to teach in the classroom.

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

Image: Accommodations for Cuban refugees inside the hangar at Trumbo Point, Key West, during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. Photo by Raymond L. Blazevic. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.