1835 – Dr. Henry S. Waterhouse, Postmaster at Indian Key, left in a canoe for a fishing excursion, accompanied by his son. Shortly after, a squall came up, and the two did not return. Waterhouse’s body was found the next day; his son was not located.
1906 – Commander Beehler of Naval Station Key West reported the receipt at the wireless telegraph station of an eight-word message from Colon, Panama, over 1,000 miles away.
1908 – A train of the East Coast Railroad crossed the Long Key viaduct and reached Knight’s Key, the farthest south any U.S. train had ever been.
1958 – With a fare of 90 cents per passenger, the first Conch Tour Train rolled onto the streets of Key West under the ownership of Bill and Olive Kroll.
1983 – Monroe County Judge Richard Payne upheld the constitutionality of a 1958 City of Key West law that required soundproofing of establishments that serve alcohol and provide music. Circuit Court Judge Ignatius Lester had earlier ruled that “soundproofing” meant no sound was to be heard outside such bars.
1991 – Key West became the final link in cellular phone service to the Florida Keys when BellSouth Mobility installed its equipment in the city.
1992 – Charter boat Captain Hans Baumgarten was murdered by two men who stole his boat and attempted to go to Cuba. The men were arrested when the boat ran out of gas.
2005 – Monroe County Airports Director Peter Horton said that restoring commercial passenger service to the Marathon airport would help alleviate the heavy traffic at Key West, but airlines would require revenue guarantees from the community before reentering the market.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A Conch Tour Train at the corner of Front and Whitehead streets ca. 1960. The sign for the Flagship Motel can also be seen. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center