1830 – William A. Whitehead was named Collector of Customs and Inspector of the Revenue for the Port of Key West, replacing Algernon S. Thurston.
1863 – A visitor to Key West wrote, “It will cost a fortune to live here, at least $100 pr month for a family of four or five. Eggs $1 pr dozen; cabbage 6-8 cents pr head; tomatoes, 20-22. Beef and potatoes you cannot get.”
1886 – Joseph Watkins, a ship carpenter in Key West, was working on the 80-foot keel of a new vessel under construction at the yard of Benjamin Kemp, when he missed a swing with a broad-axe and struck his ankle instead of the timber. His wound was severe and dangerous.
1942 – The Florida State Board of Health’s mobile X-ray unit was at the Monroe County Courthouse grounds in Key West to screen for tuberculosis. White residents would be examined on this date, Black residents the following.
1968 – Captain Bill Wickers of the charter boat Sandy Bill II caught his 93rd sailfish of the year, and with over a month left he hoped to beat his 1966 record of 95 sailfish in a year.
1998 – Marathon’s Sombrero Beach had received an increase in sand from Hurricane Georges, and residents were enjoying the improved waterfront.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A catch made on the charterboat Sandy Bill with Captain Bill Wickers C 1960s. Photo by Wil-Art Studio. Monroe County Library Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center