1895 – A bill was introduced in the Florida Senate authorizing Monroe County to issue $500,000 in bonds to build a highway from Key West to Key Largo.
1898 – The U.S. Army Hospital at the Convent of Mary Immaculate was established with Major William R. Hall in command.
1911 – The A.M.E. Zion Church of Key West held their annual May picnic at the West Martello Tower.
1911 – “The Ranchman,” a play in four acts, was presented at the Odd Fellows Opera House in Key West for the benefit of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The cast, composed of island youth, was directed by Mildred Shavers.
1919 – The Florida Senate voted 20 to 4 to prohibit the use of seine nets by Monroe County fishermen.
1923 – Martin Key, owner of the Dreamland Café on Stock Island, bought 52 lots on the island with plans to build a large pavilion, provided a golf course bond issue carried through.
1926 – Two men attempted to break into the Key West Custom House by drilling a 12-inch diameter hole through the basement wall, hoping to access the area where liquor, jewelry, cigars, narcotics and other seized goods were kept. A night watchman encountered the men and fired shots at them, but they escaped via the waterfront.
1931 – A May Day Festival was held in Bayview Park.
1961 – Elphi Crosisi, who reportedly believed himself to be a reincarnated pirate, hijacked a plane during a Marathon-to-Key West flight. The plane was diverted to Havana, Crosisi was jailed there, and the plane and passengers returned to the Florida Keys.
1973 – A Georgia development company was negotiating to buy the Casa Marina, with the intent of converting it to condominiums. A spokesman for the developer said, “Into the existing structure once operated as a hotel, we will construct approximately 60 luxurious condominium apartments for sale to families in high income brackets.”
1994 – The United States Bureau of Census reported that while Florida grew by 32% from 1980 to 1990, Key West, Stock Island and Big Coppitt grew by only 2%.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Odd Fellows Opera House on Caroline Street on May 20, 1899 with crowd waiting for the last matinee of the Southern Stock Company. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.