1829 – A duel was fought between Charles E. Hawkins, of the Mexican Navy and William Allison McRea, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Four shots were exchanged. Hawkins was wounded in his wrist and McRea was hit in his thigh. The cause of the duel was Hawkins had seen McRea leaving his wife’s bedroom via the window.
1923 – Navy torpedo planes were practicing maneuvers at the entrance of the main ship channel six miles south of Key West. A torpedo had been lost there earlier in the week, and a reward of $20 was being offered for its return.
1933 – Crossed wires caused the fire bell to ring intermittently from midnight to dawn in the northern section of Key West, keeping residents there awake through much of the night.
1946 – Dr. Anna Lucille Calverley of 50-1 Poinciana Place, a former dentist, was sworn in as Key West’s first female police officer.
1946 – Keys Memorial Post No. 145 of the American Legion at Tavernier was presented its charter.
1954 – The State Road Department of Florida filed a lawsuit against four Stock Island business owners in a dispute over the location of the right-of-way. The department planned to widen US 1 there from two to four lanes and had determined the business were within the boundaries of the project.
1965 – The Monroe County School Board ordered total integration of all public schools in the county and closing of the Burlington school on Key Largo.
1973 – A short but violent storm with winds to 55 mph crossed the island causing damages to boats.
1995 – The statue of Henry “Booty” Singleton at the foot of Margaret Street was dedicated. Singleton once owned most of the Key West Bight and employed more than 2,000 workers in his shrimping business.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The fire bell in the Key West Cemetery. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.