1770 – The HMS Carysford wrecked on the Florida Reef off Key Largo and gave its name to the reef that was later changed to Carysfort.
1906 – May Irwin presented her new play “Mrs. Wilson, That’s All” at the Duval Theater in Key West. The storyline involved a mix-up with a phonograph recording, and it was the first time a phonograph had been featured on stage.
1919 – The Key West City Council voted to own, control, and operate its own sanitary and garbage service. Five trucks were bought for the purpose, making it possible to remove 60 tons of garbage a day – well beyond any previous capacity.
1922 – The J.P. McGowan Moving Picture Company was in Key West to film exterior shots for a film to be called “A Million in Jewels.” The principal parts of the film would be made in Havana, but the final scenes would take place in Key West.
1953 – Navy officials requested that five Key West taxi drivers have their licenses suspended because they had been engaged in prostitution operations.
1968 – Mayor Kermit Lewin cut the ribbon to open the new Firestone facilities on White Street.
1999 – The new central fire station on North Roosevelt Boulevard was dedicated and named for the late Key West Fire Chief Richard “Dickie” Wardlow.
Information compiled by the late Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Firestone Store, 1201 White Street, Key West, 1968. Tract 14, Square 1, Lot 2, Part of Lot 1. Photo by the Monroe County Property Appraiser’s Office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.