September 20
1901 – St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church on Duval Street was destroyed by fire, though a large part of the church’s valuables was saved. The fire main system was undergoing repairs, and the lack of water hampered firemen’s efforts to battle the blaze.
1941 – Five hundred local carpenters entered the third day of a strike at the Key West Naval Station as they demanded a 12½ cent increase in their hourly pay. Navy officials said they would not negotiate during a work stoppage and that the men risked losing their jobs.
1955 – Charley Toppino and Sons bought a 30-acre tract of land in Key West that would become Riviera Drive, running from Sunrise Shores to 11th Street and from Flagler Avenue to the new canal. The sale price was $150,000.
1955 – Mel Levitt called a meeting of the motel owners in the South Street area of Key West to try to prevent a price war. One owner had been advertising rooms for $2 per person, double occupancy.
1956 – The Key West Chamber of Commerce called upon the Florida Board of Conservation for emergency measures to protect the Tortugas shrimp beds, including that no nets be of less than 2¼ -inch mesh be used by trawlers. It was feared that without regulation, the Keys shrimp business would be destroyed.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Naval Station Key West Construction, September 6, 1941. Two-story storehouse. View from Tank No. 94. U.S. Navy photo. Gift of Wendy Tucker. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
