1869 – One hundred and thirty-seven Cuban refugees fleeing Spanish oppression arrived at Key West.
1885 – The 1885 Florida State Census showed Key West had a population of 13,558. The birth places of 4,871 were listed as Florida, 4,410 were born in Cuba and 3,260 were born in the Bahamas.
1935 – The Key West Aquarium was dedicated. The main speaker was Dr. Robert O. Van Deusen, superintendent of the Fairmount Park Aquarium in Philadelphia.
1940 – Movie stars Joan Fontaine and Peter Aherne arrived in Key West after driving down from Miami. The two were on a break from filming and planned to spend two days at the Casa Marina.
1943 – The United States Marine Hospital, Key West closed. The hospital was established in 1848 to treat members of the U.S. Merchant Marines. The hospital had also served as a Navy Hospital during the Civil War and in 1898 when it treated the wounded from the Battleship Maine. In addition, many Key Westers were saved by treatment at the hospital, which was staffed by the U.S. Public Health Service.
1950 – The entire Key West shrimp fleet was in port because of bad weather. Those already out on the shrimping grounds were forced to return to port with only small catches.
1954 – Police raided a two-room shack constructed at the Salt Ponds off Flagler Avenue in Key West. Ten people were arrested, eight of them juveniles. The raid was prompted by recent complaints of parties at the location, which was also suspected as a hangout for truants.
1972 – Dustin Hoffman and his family spent the weekend at the Pier House Motel.
1975 – Gus Bell, fishing with Captain Bob West, caught a new world record tarpon that weighed 243 pounds.
1998 – Catherine Garrison, a reading and language teacher at Key Largo School, was chosen as Monroe County Teacher of the Year.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Shack off Flagler Avenue that was raided by police, with 10 arrested, in February 1953. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.