1908 – Two six-pounder saluting guns were placed at Naval Station Key West, and they were ready to salute incoming vessels, in return for the ships having acknowledged the commodore’s flag.
1923 – The United States Quarantine Station used the barge Wisteria anchored in the harbor for a disinfecting station. Acting Assistant Surgeon J.Y. Porter Jr. was in charge.
1953 – Monroe County voters by a 6-to-1 majority defeated a bond issue for $14 million that would have been used to build a second water pipeline from Key West to the mainland.
1962 – As part of the military built-up, the Army leased Wickers Field from the city for $1 a year.
1979 – The first Fantasy Fest parade, consisting of 26 floats, marched down Duval Street before a crowd estimated at 10,000. The winning float was “Bride of Dracula” sponsored by Fast Buck Freddie’s.
1983 – Governor Bob Graham appointed Danny L. Kolhage Clerk of Court to fill the unexpired term of Ralph White, who resigned to return to the banking business.
1998 – Former President George H.W. Bush was in the Keys for the fifth annual George Bush Cheeca Lodge Bonefish Tournament.
1999 – The cast and crew from MTV’s “Road Rules 2000” were filming Fantasy Fest events and other scenes for an upcoming television special to air in March 2000.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Caroline Street on the Naval Station Key West in 1908. U.S. Navy photo. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.