1864 – Yellow fever continued to rage at Key West and the Dry Tortugas, particularly amongst the military men. “We now have some companies without any officers at all. Yet it would be murder to send any down here to die… as they almost certainly would,” wrote one officer.
1911 – Plans for the new Sparks Chapel at the corner of Fleming and William streets were submitted to the church’s building committee for consideration, and the favored design was a building of reinforced concrete with a 75-foot tower. The previous chapel had been destroyed by a hurricane two years earlier.
1924 – The latest report by the Collector of Customs for the 18th District showed that shipping from Key West led all other Florida ports by a wide margin. In May, exports from Key West totaled $3,319,876, while the rest of the state combined came to $2,217,949.
1977 – Monroe County was ranked 13th in all counties of the state in per capita income but had the highest cost of living in the state. Monroe County had a per capita income of $5,478 compared to Palm Beach, the state’s highest with a $6,940 income.
1993 – Tank Island (now known as Sunset Key) in Key West Harbor went on the auction block with an opening bid of $25 million.
1994 – The Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School on Fleming Key opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 20-acre facility, highlighted by a 50-foot dive tower, had been more than two years in the making.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Sparks Chapel at the corner of William and Fleming Streets in Key West before and after the 1909 Hurricane. Gift of Fleming Street Methodist Church. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.