1849 – U.S. insurance underwriters appointed Capt. John C. Hoyt as special agent to represent their interests at Key West in matters of wrecked vessels and cargos. They also arranged with Key West merchant W.H. Wall to make advances of money and to pay salvage charges for their clients.
1908 – Laborers hired to install granite rock jetties at the northwest entrance of Key West Harbor went on strike over a pay dispute. They had been offered $1.50 for an 8-hour shift, but they were demanding an increase to $1.75.
1929 – Monroe County Commissioners agreed to cut their salaries by one-third, which would save the county $250 a month, or $3,000 per year.
1938 – Key West’s charter boat fishing fleet moved to new quarters at the concrete dock along Trumbo Island. Six boats were at their new berths.
1938 – Ernest and Pauline Hemingway arrived in Key West after having been in Spain. The author said he was working on a new novel that would be a “surprise.”
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 – Key West resident Tennessee Williams was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The announcement was made by author and part-time Key West resident John Hersey.
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.
1997 – The Public Service Commission decided to allow Monroe County to remain wholly under the 305 area code, while adding a second 786 area code in Miami-Dade County.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Key West charter boats at Craig Dock on Trumbo Road in the 1940’s. Photo by Danforth Studio from the West Family Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center