October 2

1901 – The Diebold Safe and Lock Company was installing a large vault in the Monroe County Courthouse for the use as an armory and for the Clerk of Court.

1922 – A report showed that approximately 5 million pounds of fish had been shipped out of Key West in the year ended September 1, over 2.7 million of which went to Havana.

1925 – Many Matecumbe residents and landowners attended the Monroe County Commission meeting to offer their ideas on the course of the new highway from the mainland being built on their islands.

1935 – A crew of 16 Key West men, working under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration, began construction of two handball courts at Bayview Park.   

1951 – The City Planning Board approved a zoning change for Dairy Queen to build an ice cream store on United Street near White Street.

1975 – In an appeal to the Florida Department of Administration for increased funding to hire more deputies, Monroe County Sheriff Robert L. Brown said, “If the people of Monroe County knew how much protection they really had, they’d all go home and sleep with a shotgun under their pillows.”

1985 – Strong opposition by neighbors prompted the Key West City Commission to reject a proposal by the MARC House to locate their group home at the corner of Duck Avenue and South Roosevelt Boulevard.

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

Image: Dairy Queen, 1207 United Street, Key West. Tract 14, Square 2, Lots 6 and 8. Photo taken by the Monroe County Property Appraiser's office ca. 1965. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.