1893 – Jefferson B. Browne took over the office as Collector of Customs. He appointed P.T. Knight as deputy collector, P.E. Thompson as chief inspector and Gus Weatherford as day inspector.
1898 – The Cuban population of Key West was decreasing, as a great number of people were returning to their homeland with the end of the Spanish American War.
1912 – A football team was being organized at Key West and had already signed players from universities across the country, as well as local men. The team hoped to be ready to play Miami by Thanksgiving day.
1954 – The Naval Air Station announced the near-completion of the $5 million building program that had given the station a new look. The new buildings included a tower & operations building, a “Denver” type hanger, and a supply warehouse.
1974 – A design by Mary L. Parsons, an employee of Key West Hand Print Fabrics, was selected as the Bicentennial seal for Monroe County. The design incorporated a train, lighthouse, shrimp boat, pirates, hibiscus, tarpon, the Maine, a missile, the highway, a city map, and “Monroe County 1776-1976.”
2004 – Monroe County Commissioners agreed to fence in a dog park at Higgs Beach in Key West. City officials had opposed the plan, fearing dog waste would find its way into nearshore waters, which were already plagued by fecal coliform bacteria.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: VX 1 hanger at NAS Boca Chica on October 13, 1954. U.S. Navy photo. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.