Today in Keys History – December 5

1849 – The New York Chamber of Commerce sent a memorial to Congress urging the salary of Judge William Marvin of the U.S. District Court at Key West be increased from $2000 to $3000. The Chamber respected Marvin’s deep knowledge of maritime law and felt his continued presence on the bench served their interests.

1940 – Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and his party left Key West after spending the night at the BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) at the new Naval Air Station on Trumbo Point. He had inspected all the Navy property in Key West and left for Panama.

1953 – The first annual Upper Keys Lime Festival got underway on the Indian Key Fill with a memorial service honoring the pioneers of the Keys.

1976 – Victor R. Shavers, Key West native and a graduate of Douglass High School’s class of 1956, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in a ceremony in Washington, DC.

2004 – Communities throughout the Florida Keys were struggling with a growing problem of private residences being used as vacation rentals. The phenomenon was eating away at already scarce housing stocks, and how to best regulate the business was not clear.

Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: Judge William Marvin. From the Scott DeWolfe Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

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