1853 – John Bartlum was building a 100-ton pilot boat in Key West for the Browne & Curry company. Only South Florida woods were being used in its construction – mahogany, dogwood, cedar, live oak, horse wood, and pitch pine.
1913 – A committee selected by the Key West City Council recommended that a recently purchased motor fire engine be refused and returned to the manufacturer. The motor’s cylinders were scarred from previous use, and major parts of the machine were of inferior workmanship and did not meet specifications.
1937 – A plan was approved to remove WPA workers from the Keys and bring them to Key West in case of a hurricane. Coast Guard patrol boats were to be used to move the workers to No Name Key where they would be taken to Key West by automobile.
1949 – A.J. Dion took out a building permit for $20,000 to build a 10-unit motel on Truman Avenue between Simonton and Duval streets.
1953 – The 25th case of polio since the beginning of the year was reported. For three weeks an average of five cases a week were reported. Of the 15 cases in the three weeks, only one involved partial paralysis.
1983 – A group of New York actors, playwrights and theater supporters tried to purchase the late Tennessee Williams’s home in Key West for a museum. The effort failed from the lack of support and problems converting the house to a museum.
1994 – Organizers of the weekend’s Miami-to-Key West Poker Run estimated that more than 12,000 motorcyclists participated in the event. The run raised over $80,000 for local charities.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Motorcycle Poker Run participants on Duval Street, 1997. Photo by Raymond L. Blazevic. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.