1853 – The USS Cyane arrived at Key West from Havana so the crew could have some leisure time, as smallpox in Cuba had prevented them from disembarking there. Key Wester and U.S. Senator Stephen Mallory visited the vessel and met with Captain George Hollins.
1917 – The first planes flew from the new Naval Air Station on rented land at the railroad yard on Trumbo Point. Two planes made a test flight over the city.
1923 – The Key West Sanitary Inspector reported that several hundred stray dogs had been “gotten rid of” over the previous week.
1932 – Despite the economic depression, Fausto Castillo completely remodeled and renovated his Fausto’s grocery store at the corner of Packer and Virginia streets in Key West. In addition to interior upgrades, new show windows were installed.
1956 – Actor and singer Burl Ives was visiting with Tennessee Williams. Ives was in the Keys to pursue his hobby of bird watching.
1976 – A secret report on biological warfare made public by the Army said that Key West was used as a site for simulated biological warfare attacks in the 1950’s and 60’s. One of the substances used in the tests was “serrata marcescens,” which can cause a rare type of pneumonia.
1986 – The City of Key West Code Enforcement Board ruled that Capt. William Frank could no longer build and repair boats in the yard of his home at 1009 South Street.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Coastal Air Station, Key West on 22 December 1917. Seaplane hangar, aviators moving in. View from southwest corner. The Heritage House Collection, donated by the Campbell, Poirier, and Pound families. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center