1891 – William Tuttar of Key Largo was bitten by a “monster rattle-snake, with seventeen rattles and a button.” He killed the reptile, and “by the timely use of remedies,” saved his own life.
1924 – Four holes of the Key West golf course on Stock Island were open and ready for play. Many tourists visited the new links and proclaimed the course promised to be one of the best and most intriguing in the United States.
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.
1974 – It was rumored that former Key West City Commissioner Charlie Ramos planned to buy the Tropical Sheet Metal building at 133 Duval Street and convert it into a restaurant.
1974 – Monroe County Commissioners were distressed by a letter they received from the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority advising freshwater reserves for the Keys were in decline and that the county should “proceed with caution” on new construction that would lead to additional water consumption.
1976 – Former Fire Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto was found guilty on three drug violations and faced a maximum of 31 years in prison.
1998 – Key West City Commission agreed to exempt the Key Lime Square complex at 508 Southard Street from an impact study if the owners made the seven-unit complex affordable.
2009 – Monroe County Commissioners debated what to do with the Hickory House restaurant property on Stock Island, with proposed options ranging from a trap storage yard, a small marina, or selling it to a developer. The county had purchased the property in 2006.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A WPA watercolor by Avery Johnson of the Key West Golf Club on a post card, 1930s. From the Otto Hirzel Scrapbook in the DeWolfe and Wood Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.