1900 – Acting Assistant Surgeon J.W. Thomas of the U.S. Army reported that there had been 5,000 cases of yellow fever at Key West between September 6 and November 30, 1899.
1910 – The Rev. F. Pasco, who had been assigned to the Old Stone church by the Methodist general conference, arrived at Key West to assume his duties.
1912 – A fire at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas destroyed the lighthouse keeper’s quarters and Marine Barracks. The Marine Barracks building was a three-story brick building, 200 feet long.
1923 – The Key West Electric Company reported that 1,708,615 passengers rode the street cars in 1922. That equaled about 95 rides during the year for every person in the city.
1925 – The Key West sponge fleet left port for their second trip of the season to the sponging grounds near Bahia Honda. They were confident of making ample catches because of good weather and clear water.
1951 – Popular radio entertainer Arthur Godfrey, of CBS Radio, broadcast his daily show from Pigeon Key.
1952 – The Florida Keys were experiencing a critical water shortage. The aqueduct was carrying its maximum of 3 million gallons a day, but increased demand from new homes, apartments, and motels was exceeding capacity.
2010 – Key West City Commissioners refused to lease 6.6 acres of land near the Truman Waterfront to the Bahama Conch Community Land Trust, after a recent audit showed financial missteps by the organization. The BCCLT had long hoped to build affordable housing and a cultural center on the land.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Division Street (Truman) School in Key West, ca. 1930. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.