1832 – An election was held to select the Town Council of Key West, and the following men were chosen: L.M. Stone, B.B. Stroebel, G.E. Weaver, P.J. Fontaine, Wm. H. Shaw, F.A. Browne, and Antonio Giraldo.
1887 – Key West newspaperman Horatio Crain advocated for the appointment of women to the county school board.
1891 – The body of Jeremiah Roberts was found on Ramrod Key. Roberts had long suffered from leprosy, and his isolated death was considered a blessing for Key West.
1894 – Tensions from a strike at Key West’s Seidenberg cigar factory were amplified when 15 Spaniards were brought in as replacement laborers, prompting threats from local Cuban workers. More Spaniards were expected to arrive, and 50 policemen were on special duty to guard them. “The entire city is aroused as never before,” wrote a witness.
1928 – It was announced that the first-ever girls’ varsity basketball team would be organized at Key West High School, with Miss O. Schell as coach.
1953 – A causeway joining Duck Key with US 1 was opened for traffic. The 1,600-foot link was based on 1.5 million cubic yards of fill. Duck Key was being developed by Canadian millionaire Bryan W. Newkirk, and he planned to build stores, shops, yacht clubs, and other community structures there.
1973 – Actors Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn were in Key West for the filming of a documentary about Tennessee Williams.
1978 – In a statewide literacy test, the Monroe County School District ranked third highest out of Florida’s 67 school systems.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Duck Key in January 1953 looking south from the highway. Copyright Edwin O. Swift Jr. from the archives of Edwin O. Swift III. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center