1863 – A group of Army and Navy men visited Sandy Cornish at his Key West orchard: “We were ushered into the house and took seats around a square table in the parlor, and then gave our order for some fruit which he brought to us on individual plates,” one of the men wrote. Each plate cost 50 cents and included grapes, guavas, and oranges.
1927 – An unknown woman was going door-to-door in Key West soliciting donations for the Red Cross, but she had no affiliation with the organization.
1927 – Monroe County sold the last of its Overseas Highway bonds: One batch of $150,000 6% bonds went to the Wright Wardlow Co. of Orlando, and another of $75,000 at 5.5% went to Pruden and Co. of Toledo.
1948 – The Key West City Commission voted to change the name of Division Street to Truman Avenue in honor of President Truman’s visit to the city.
1959 – Allen E. Curry was the manager of Gulf Oil Corporation located at 0 Duval Street.
1970 – Weekend drug raids across the Upper Keys by Monroe County Sheriff’s officers led to the seizure of marijuana, LSD, and amphetamines. Nineteen adults and seven juveniles were arrested.
2008 – Archaeologists were excavating at what was to become a new parking lot at the rear of the Federal Building at the corner of Simonton and Caroline streets. They had uncovered artifacts from both historic and prehistoric occupations at the site.
2013 – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a report that said the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail was the state’s most used bike and pedestrian trail in 2012-13, with 1.9 million visitors, who generated $91 million in direct economic impact.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Gulf Oil at 0 Duval Street. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center