1910 – The Department of Agriculture issued a request for proposals for the construction of a new concrete weather station at Sand Key. The building was to “be a model of its kind and will contain all modern appliances for recording and forecasting the weather.”
1913 – A monument to the late Key West Fire Chief Hyam G. Fulford was unveiled in the city cemetery. Firefighters marched from City Hall to the grave, and W. Hunt Harris gave an address. When the black cover was removed, a “shaft of pure white crystal marble glistened in the sunlight, an emblem of purity pointing to heaven.” The monument had been erected by the members of the department as a token of their love and esteem for the departed chief.
1915 – John E. Sawyer, who oversaw census operations in Monroe County, completed his work i1994n Key West. He promptly left for Marathon and the Upper Keys to continue the count.
1994 – Alejandrina Castillo, age 91, became the oldest known refugee to make the crossing from Cuba to the Florida Keys. She and nine family members left Regla on a raft made of three innertubes bolstered by foamboard.
1999 – Monroe County was demolishing seven abandoned houses and three abandoned trailers in Marathon. The derelict structures had become “drug dens” and were having a negative effect on the community. Some residents felt the homes should have been repaired to fill the need for housing in the area.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A postcard of the Sand Key Lighthouse and the second Weather Station ca. 1915. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.