1822 – “Mr. Hemming” (likely John Fleeming, or Fleming) arrived from Mobile with workers and material to erect the first house on the island.
1913 – Mrs. Booker T. Washington addressed the women of Key West at the A.M.E. Zion Church.
1945 – Key West was $9,000 short of its $24,900 Red Cross War Fund quota, and with only days to go in the drive, fund officials were increasing efforts to engage with residents who had not yet contributed.
1960 – The Navy announced that 360 men and officers of the new Air Anti-submarine Squadron VS-30 would be transferred from Norfolk to Key West. The group’s mission would be the training of replacements and pilots for the Navy’s anti-submarine warfare carriers.
1993 – Key West resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey died at age 78. He had been a winter resident of Key West since 1976, and he was considered by many to be the “elder statesman” of the Key West writing community.
1995 – A building moratorium was in effect on Big Pine Key, prompted by poor traffic flow. The Florida Department of Transportation was exploring how to improve the situation, including the construction of “Key deer bridges” so the endangered creatures could more safely cross the highway.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Wilhelmina Harvey and John Hersey, ca. 1980. Ida Woodward Barron Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.