1828 – William Pinckney, Collector of Customs, completed a census and reported a population of 421.
1875 – The 1874 crop of Key Largo pineapples was reported to be 250,000, and, with new plantings, it was thought the 1875 crop would be near 300,000.
1893 – In 1892 the Key West Custom House collected $827,147.79 in import duties. The was more than was collected in the rest of Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
1893 – The Key West City Directory for 1893 reported the population of the city was 23,000.
1906 – A group of fishermen killed a monk seal about five miles from Key West; it was the first one seen in the area in 30 years. The skin and skull were on display on Virginia street at the home of Johnathan Cates, Jr. and available for purchase.
1910 – Colonel W.H. Towles commenced erecting a new slaughterhouse of wood with a concrete floor at the ocean end of White Street. The old slaughterhouse was destroyed by the Hurricane of 1909.
1921 – Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, arrived in Key West to deliver the first of three nightly addresses to the island’s Black population at Samaritan Hall on Whitehead Street. Many hundreds attended his talks. Garvey advocated for Black society to split from White culture in order to thrive. The FBI sent agents to Key West to keep tabs on the then controversial figure.
1936 – The “Pirates of Penzance” was presented by a local cast at Battery Dillworth on Fort Taylor grounds, and the show was followed by a performance of the Cuban marine band. The performances were held in connection with the celebration of La Semana Allegre (The Happy Week).
1948 – President Harry Truman arrived in Key West from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For the next eight days he rested before returning to Washington.
1951 – Secretary of the Navy Francis Matthews was the principal speaker at the official opening and dedication ceremony of the East Martello Tower for use as a Museum and Art Gallery by the Key West Art and Historical Society.
1976 – The Monroe County Commission approved pay raises for 16 employees. The county had more than 300 people on the payroll, including 144 funded under the CETA program.
1983 – Key West resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams was found dead in his hotel in Manhattan. The death was ruled accidental.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: 715 Whitehead St. circa 1965, razed about 1970. Photo by the Monroe County Property Appraiser’s Office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.