1855 – Northwest Channel Lighthouse was first lighted.
1907 – Sir William Gray Wilson, Governor of The Bahamas, was in Key West as the guest of Henry Flagler. Gov. Wilson arrived by steamer from Miami, attended a reception at the Elks club, and was entertained by Bahamian Key Westers at Good Samaritan’s Hall on Whitehead Street.
1924 – Mrs. Maud Curtis, Ileen Williams, and Minnie Porter Harris flew from Key West to Miami, and they were enthralled by the view of the “marine gardens,” as the hydroplane flew low over the reef. They saw fish, corals, sea fans, and other sea life and speculated that sponge beds could be spied from the air.
1946 – A development on Lower Matecumbe Key promised to rival Miami Beach, according to project manager J. Frank Roberts. The beach was being graded and land cleared for construction. No lot would sell for less than $2,500 and no house could be built for less than $6,500.
1964 –The Army Corps of Engineers awarded a contract of $1,987,209 to Bauer Dredging Company to deepen and enlarge Key West Harbor. The Corps also awarded a $1,431,685 contract to Acme Missiles and Construction Corporation to build a missile assembly building at the Nike-Hercules facility on Key Largo.
1974 – Key West police recommended that the Sunday flea market at Rest Beach Park be placed under stricter regulation after receiving complaints that guns and “dope” were being sold there. An investigation found switchblades and other knives for sale, as well as the rampant consumption of alcohol.
1986 – Widening of the US 1 highway from 107th Street to 37th Street in Marathon, from two lanes to four lanes with a median, commenced, despite much local opposition. Many residents feared the new road’s runoff would drain into canals and pollute the waterways.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Upper Matecumbe Key, Islamorada Properties, Billy Conner, c1960. Upper Matecumbe PB 1-41, OR 298-593-596, OR 378-978-979, OR 376-619-621Q. Photo taken by the Property Appraisers office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.