1848 – The Irish ship Mertoun, sailing from New Orleans to Liverpool, wrecked at Delta Shoal off Key Vaca with 1,400 bales of cotton, 4,500 bags of corn, logwood, and barrels of beef, pork, and lard. Wreckers removed the cargo and towed the vessel to Key West for repair.
1908 – The streetcar company in Key West was involved in two accidents. In one, the car struck a Cuban bakery wagon, throwing buns all over the road. The wagon was destroyed, but the horse and driver were uninjured. The second was a collision with a steamroller, which damaged the streetcar’s fenders.
1967 – Eighty-four Peace Corps volunteers, who had been training in Key West for five weeks, left the island for two years of service in Liberia.
1974 – The Sears store in Key West was evacuated after a woman called and said a bomb had been planted there and was set to explode at 7:01 PM. Police searched the premises and found no such device.
2009 – A report on tourism showed large declines from 2007 to 2008. The number of airport passengers dropped 15.8%, from 538,000 to 453,000. Cruise ship visits were down, too, from 393 to 343.
2010 – The Universal Cleaners building at 510 Elizabeth Street was torn down to make way for a new, single-family home.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Duval Street looking north, with a streetcar. Postcard by the Hugh Leighton Co., Portland, Me. The DeWolfe and Wood Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.