1832 – Since January 1st, there had been eight deaths in Key West. Of adults, there were two drownings, two died of tuberculosis, and one died of dysentery. Of children, one died of marasmus (severe undernourishment), one was stillborn, and one died of “teething.”
1887 – A new Spanish daily newspaper named “El Pueblo” began publication at Key West.
1963 – The new Marathon Post Office was opened.
1977 – The Marine Barracks, located on the Truman Annex of the Naval Air Station, was destroyed by fire. Eight people were injured, but all were treated and released. The 60 Marines housed in the barracks lost all their belongings.
1988 – Filming began in Key West for a new James Bond adventure movie tentatively titled “License Revoked.”
1994 – Under Florida Department of Environmental Protection supervision, six loggerhead sea turtles were transported from Miami Seaquarium to the Tripod Banks off Conch Key for release into in the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the turtles had lived in the Miami facility for as long as ten years.
1999 – Plans to widen the 18-mile stretch of US1 connecting Key Largo to the mainland from two lanes to four were put on hold after Florida Governor Jeb Bush received plans for a new Florida Keys hurricane evacuation study. The delay was expected to last at least six months.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Marine Barracks fire on August 1, 1977. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.