1824 – An unlit beacon, 49 feet high, was erected on “Porpoise Island” (Sand Key) to warn mariners of the reef.
1892 – The Electric Light Company at Key West was operating successfully. A writer noted, “More than twenty street lights now shed their brilliant rays in the streets of the city and make an evening stroll very pleasant.”
1900 – Mr. J.C. Conyers, a visitor from Kentucky, was found floating dead off Key West’s South Beach, apparently the victim of a robbery. It was reported Conyers had come to the island with a treasure map and had employed some local men to help him locate a buried fortune. The men could not be found.
1928 – The first transoceanic airplanes in passenger service, operated by Pan-American Airways, flew from Key West’s Meacham Field to Havana. The first plane carried mail and three passengers – Thomas Bryson, editor of the Citizen; Louis Bragassa, deputy collector of customs; and Albert Caviness, assistant emigration inspector. Passengers on the second flight were Jorge Ponce, Cuban consul to Key West; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Peyson of New York; and Commander John Loudon, aide to President Coolidge.
1950 – The federal government offered 106 acres on Sugarloaf Key for sale to the public. The lots ranged in size from 8/10ths to 2 ½ acres and were restricted to use as homesites.
1985 – May Hill Russell, who guided the effort to build the Monroe County Library Public Library on Fleming Street, died at age 75. After her death the Library was named for her.
1999 – Key West celebrated the grand opening of the city-owned Key West Bight Historic Seaport.
2014 – After residents of Eden Pines on Big Pine Key complained about an improvised, outdoor gun range in their neighborhood, Monroe County Commissioners were surprised to learn that, according to state law, they had no regulatory power over the firing of guns on private property.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Pan American Airways first passenger flight from Key West to Havana on January 16, 1928. Gift of Pan American World Airways. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center