The BOQ (Fly Navy building) in Key West, circa 2000
1887 – The Marine Hospital reported a yellow fever epidemic in Key West had caused 110 cases with 30 deaths. By the time the fever ended in September there had been 282 cases with 63 deaths.
1898 – Private Benjamin Tyler, Troop C, 10th Cavalry, died of TB in the Army Hospital at the Convent.
1901 – The Post Office began delivering mail three time a day. The letter carriers left the Post Office at 7:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
1900 – The case of Mr. Edward J. Watson, charged with intent to murder, was continued until the next term by the Criminal Court at Key West. Watson had never been apprehended as he was in the wilds of mainland Monroe County “in the vicinity of extreme South Florida.”
1923 – The Monroe County grand jury recommended that a padded cell be constructed in the county jail so that violent prisoners could be handled without injuring themselves. The jury noted that the same recommendation had been made repeatedly since 1914.
1939 – The Civilian Conservation Corp camp on West Summerland was established. The workers at the camp were beautifying the new highway.
1942 – The merchant vessel Pennsylvania Sun was sunk 54 miles southwest of the Dry Tortugas by the German submarine U-571.
1964 – The Navy began construction of the new Bachelor Officers Quarters (aka Fly Navy Building) on the Trumbo Annex of the Naval Air Station.
2011 – The Crane Point Museum and Nature Center proposed a zip-line “eco-adventure canopy tour” through their wooded preserve. The idea would have to go through public hearings and review before approval.
2013 – The Navy removed contaminated soils from the Truman Waterfront and brought the land into compliance with “recreational” standards, making it safe for use as a park.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The BOQ (Fly Navy Building) at Trumbo Point circa 2000. U.S. Navy photo. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.