1910 – Over the course of a month, Key West had gained 1,200 new inhabitants, a population growth rate never seen by a Florida city before.
1911 – The Men and Religious Movement was taking hold in Key West, and many people attended a meeting at the Old Stone Church. The purpose of the program was to engage men of all classes with religion, but especially businessmen “who had allowed the accumulation of wealth to wean them away from the church.”
1930 – Doris V. Long, a Key West school teacher, died from an illegal abortion performed by a doctor in Fort Myers.
1933 – Monroe County voted 1,299 to 85 for the repeal of the 18th amendment of the Constitution which had outlawed the sale of alcoholic beverages.
1942 – In response to a call by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 34 young Key West men agreed to undergo 300 hours of training before entering into work in the war industry, where they would be paid $5.20 to $7.20 per day.
1946 – Key West City Manager O.J.S. Ellingson offered a $150 reward to anyone providing information that led to the arrest and conviction of persons defacing or destroying parking meters.
1953 – In a drastic move to combat the spread of polio, the Navy closed all pools, movies, clubs and stopped all social functions. A total of 47 cases of the disease with three deaths had been reported in the county for the year.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Convent students writing parking tickets C 1950. Photo by Evans Pilkington from the L.P. Artman Jr. Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.