1905 – The cornerstone of the National Bank building at the corners of Duval and Front streets was laid. John T. Sawyer, one of the directors, placed a silver coin under the stone.
1927 – Crawfish were swarming in Niles Channel between Ramrod and Summerland Keys. A party of five reported catching 150 in 20 minutes.
1941 – Naval Station Key West was running low on water, as rain had been scant, and the cisterns were nearly dry. Two water tankers were brought from Miami to help fill demand, but rationing was likely if rain did not come.
1949 – County Commissioner Joe Allen announced that anyone consuming alcohol at County (Higgs) Beach would be arrested. The decree came after a drinking party left the beach littered with dozens of beer containers and liquor bottles, along with other litter.
1969 – Gerald Adams died at the age of 69. For more than a quarter of a century, he was connected with his father in the operation of Adams Dairy, the last dairy to produce milk in Key West. He served on the Monroe County School Board from 1948 to 1961 and the Gerald Adams School was named for him.
1972 – Key West native Pete Nebo died at age 62. In the late 1920s Nebo was of the best flyweight and later lightweight fighters in the country.
1987 – Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph Lash died at age 77. He had made his home in Key West for the last nine years.
2007 – Twenty-one condominium owners at Sombrero Cay Club in Marathon filed suit against Cay Clubs International, saying the developer had failed to deliver on promises of improvements and misled them on the growth potential of their investment.
2008 – In 24 hours, four badly decomposed bodies were found in the waters of the Upper Keys, from Indian Key to the Elbow off Key Largo. No boats or people had been reported missing, and the Sheriff’s Office was working to understand the situation.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The opening of the First National Bank on Duval Street at the corner of Front Street. Photo from the Monroe County Library Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.