1861 – Captain Meigs of the U.S. Army reported to Washington that he had installed a draw bridge and gate at Fort Taylor, both of which were closed every night. He also reported that all guns were safe within the Fort.
1905 – Key Wester Charles Kelly died mysteriously while on a woodcutting expedition at the mainland Monroe County settlement of Flamingo. Kelly was working on shore with two other men, when he told them he was going to the boat. When Kelly failed to return, his colleagues went to investigate and found him lying dead in the bottom of the vessel. A coroner’s jury determined he died of natural causes.
1923 – J.F. Uhrbach, collector of internal revenue, reported that 49,396,675 cigars were manufactured in Key West in 1922.
1925 – The Key West Police Department issued a notice that, due to a rise in reckless driving, they would increase enforcement of traffic laws. Residents were reminded that speed limits in the city were 18 m.p.h. in the day, 12 m.p.h. at night, and 4 m.p.h. at street crossings.
1951 – The crew of the 20th-Century-Fox movie “The Frogmen” arrived to film sequences in Key West. The film starred Dana Andrews, Richard Widmark and Gary Merrill.
1954 – The tower of Key West’s Old City Hall began to be demolished, and contractors expected that the job would take about a month to complete. The tower was being pulled down because engineers feared structural defects put it in danger of collapse.
1975 – The Cunard cruise liner Ambassador was put up for sale at Key West. Three months earlier, the ship had suffered an engine fire near the Dry Tortugas that caused $10 million in damages. The Ambassador had been tied at the Navy’s mole pier since the blaze.
1998 – A 50-foot commercial fishing boat went hard aground on Rock Key Reef near Sand Key causing considerable damage to the reef. The boat sank outside the Stock Island Marina as it was being taken in for repairs.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A man in a car, Key West, ca. 1920. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.