1871 – John Bartlum died at age 57. He was born in the Bahamas and was working in Key West by 1835. He was the leading shipbuilder of Key West working for the firm of Bowne and Curry. His greatest achievement was the clipper ship Stephen R. Mallory, the only clipper ship built in the South with native labor. In 1847, he moved his home from Green Turtle Key in the Bahamas to 730 Eaton Street.
1908 – The Miami baseball team left Key West after having played the island’s squads. The guests lost four games against the Key West teams but pulled off a victory over the Army players. A festive ball was held for them at La Brisa, and they said, “their many friends here have made their visit a pleasant one.”
1945 – Inquiries were made to the Key West City Council to see if they would approve a slaughterhouse at the Armour & Co. property at the corner of Caroline and Grinnell Streets. Under the proposed plan, imported cattle and hogs would be killed and butchered on the premises and the meat sold locally.
1954 – The Tropical Cigar Factory at 918 Duval Street in Key West, owned by Armando Bermudez, was destroyed by fire.
1987 – The nuclear-powered fast attack submarine the USS Key West was commissioned in Norfolk, VA. This was the third Navy vessel to carry the name Key West.
2009 – Members of the Ocean Reef Community Association expressed unease over plans to build two more nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, only eight miles distant. Of particular concern was contaminated cooling water reaching the Biscayne Aquifer – the source of drinking water for the Florida Keys.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Armour and Company warehouse on Grinnell Street and the railroad siding ca. 1920. Gift of Eddie Strunk. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.