1891 – William Tuttar of Key Largo was bitten by a “monster rattlesnake, with 17 rattles and a button.” He killed the reptile, and “by the timely use of remedies,” saved his own life.
1905 – The Key West Realty Company had surveyed its land holdings on the eastern end of the island and was dividing the area into lots. The company hoped to build a large hotel and railroad depot near there.
1929 – Frank Reshore, 606 Grinnell St., introduced the African Tulip Tree (spathodea bignoniaceae) to Key West with seeds he obtained in Coral Gables.
1934 – The Clyde-Mallory freighter Ozark was still aground on a mud bank in Man O’ War harbor after having been taken there three days earlier and flooded to extinguish a stubborn fire in its forward hold. Much of Ozark’s cargo of flour was likely ruined by either water or flame.
1947 – The Monroe County Property Assessor’s office was drawing new plats for all the Florida Keys. The effort was motivated by a woman having 40 acres on Key Largo evaluated at $5,000, but the assessor could find no evidence of the land. A closer investigation showed the absentee owner had been sold a parcel of the Atlantic Ocean, with only ½ acre above sea level.
1962 – Mary Hemingway, widow of the late Ernest Hemingway, was in Key West inventorying materials in a storeroom behind Sloppy Joe’s bar where the famous writer left this material in care of his old fishing friend Joe Russell’s family.
1964 – Old Island Restoration Foundation completed the Pelican Path, the first self-guided walking tour of Key West.
1971 – The Lions Club formally opened the Dr. Jose Sanchez Eye Clinic at the Lion’s Den on North Roosevelt Boulevard.
1976 – Former Fire Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto was found guilty on three drug violations and faced a maximum of 31 years in prison.
1997 – A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new fire station on North Roosevelt. The station was named for former Fire Chief Richard “Dickie” Wardlow, who with his wife died in car crash in April 1996.
1998 – Key West City Commission agreed to exempt Key Lime Square complex at 508 Southard Street from impact study if the owners made the seven-unit complex affordable.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Fire Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto’s car being towed after his arrest during Operation Conch in September 1976. Photo by Raymond L. Blazevic. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.