January 1960

The 100 room Indies House hotel opens at $20-$30 for a double room, European plan.

February 1960

Duck Key gets a Post Office. The Indies House established what is thought to be one of the smallest and most unusual post offices in the United States. The Duck Key Post Office was housed in a five by five foot converted tile bathroom located in the hotel's executive office area. Resort developer Bryan Newkirk announced that a mural on the post office wall would portray a scene showing transportation of mail by sailboat. The Post Office served residents and guests of the luxury resort.

September 1960

Hurricane Donna strikes, causing $1 million damage to the Indies House and several homes existing on the island.

The Duck Key Post Office functioned until Hurricane Donna visited the island. The eye of Hurricane Donna passed over Duck Key at 2 A.M. on September 9, 1960. Duck Key was spared the sea surge, but more than a foot of rain and water poured down from the ceiling in the hotel's main dining room.

The Indies House closed for repairs and further improvements and the resort did not reopen until December.

The Indies House reopened after Huricane Donna repairs, but shortly after that, Bryan Newkirk sold out his interest in the island. Newkirk died in 1966 at age seventy-seven.

In 1961, the Indies House was leased to E.A. Stephens for $150,000. Stevens was the owner of the famous Tides Inn of Virginia. Stevens purchased the Indies House for $2,250,000 along with the rights to sell lots on Duck Key. Several years passed with no success in selling homesites.

August 1963

Hotel is in bankruptcy. Garvis Kincad, owner of the Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company buys Indies House and the island of Duck Key for $2.07 million and hires the Jack Tar Management Co. to manage the hotel. Garvis Kincaid, who owned a number of banks and radio stations, also purchased a majority interest in Marathon's radio station and the Marathon State Bank. Kincaid sells the Indies House in 1964.

November 1963

Duck Key consists of a hotel, a pool, golf course, and five houses.

Winter 1963-64

Former President Harry Truman and family stay at Indies House.

1964

The Canaveral International Corporation buys Duck Key. Canaveral hires E. A. Stephen to manage the facility. Room rentals prove insufficient and the Indies House is only kept open for two months. No lots are sold but during this time Canaveral realizing the need for employee housing and constructs a 24 unit apartment building. Two guest villas are also built.

1965

Indies House becomes the property of Miami lawyers Jerome Weinkle and Alan Kessler. They change the name of Indies House to Sheraton Indies House and the hotel becomes part of the Sheraton Chain. Weinkle and Kessler are experienced in the hotel business and own a number of Dutch Inn and Holiday Inn motels. Their promotion of the Sheraton Indies meets with little success.

1966

The Fallon Smith Corporation buys Duck Key in 1966. They assume a mortgage of several million plus satisfy an existing obligation to the Canaveral Corporation with stock and land from Fallon Smith.

Sheraton Indies becomes the Indies House once again. Fallon Smith begins improving the facility. Landscaping improvements are made, a new marina is built, a breakwater by the marina is constructed, a new concrete bridge connecting Duck Key with the Overseas Highway is added. To attract more patrons a 400 seat conventional center is constructed. Some lots on the island are sold.

1971

Herb Cameron buys the Indies House together with Indies Island, the commercially zoned portion of Duck Key.

1974

Cameron is unsuccessful in an attempt to build seven 16-story condominium buildings. Cameron did not have the support of the island's homeowners and also meets with strong opposition from Monroe County officials.

1976

Cameron adds sixty rooms to the Indies Inn. A fifth floor restaurant is added to one wing also.

February 1975

The island of Duck Key numbers 80 private homes.

1977

Herb Cameron sells his ownership to Miami developer, Joseph Klien in a lease option contract for $9.4 million. The new owner's concept of selling time shares of the hotel never really gets off the ground and Cameron reassumes control after several months because Klein is unable live up to the contract.

1978 to 1983

The hotel expands to 159 rooms and changes ownership twice more.

1983

Cameron sells Indies Inn to the Barrington Group for $10.5 million. The Duck Key Club Corporation was formed by James Cohee and Bruce Barrington of the Barrington Group of Pompano Beach. The hotel and marina close for several months for refurbishing, upgrading of the marina, and the addition of tennis courts.

January 1984

Hotel reopens as Hawk's Cay Resort under the Barrington Group with 178 rooms and begins an expansion plan of condominium villas. They only complete 22 villas by 1993.

1993

There are 300 residential dwellings on Duck Key.

1996 to 2000

Resort gains approval to build 223 conch style town house villas. All are completed by the summer of 2001. Pritam Singh is the developer.

2000

There are 350 residential houses on the island.

2001

Club Duck Key is completed in February of 2001.

2002

Resort and developer Singh propose building additional units on Indies Island in exchange for some funding and waste treatment piping and sewer treatment of Duck Key residential islands. Community group "Concerned Citizens" opposes expansion and sewering of residential island by Singh. County Commission decides Conch Key, which was to be part of sewer package, will build its own plant.

2003

Pritam Singh gains permission from the Florida Department Community Affairs to build an additional 28 units on Duck Key by purchasing the old Overseas Motel in Marathon and transferring development rights. He also build a number of housing units for use by resort employees.

2007

Barrington Group sells Hawks Cay Resort to Beringer Harvard and Northview Hotel Group. Properties undergo an extensive remodeling. Original Indies Hotel and Inn building is gutted and completely rebuilt.

2014

Tom's Harbor Bridge repairs are completed in July 2014.

September 2017

Monroe County issues an evacuation order: “Get out.” Hurricane Irma hits Duck Key and many parts of Florida in September 2017, leaving the island without power, sewer, and water. Monroe County Fire Rescue help Duck Key residents with Hurricane Irma recovery efforts.

ongoing

DKPOA schedules yearly Island Clean Up events to keeping the Islands of Duck Key beautiful and to bring neighbors together to make an difference here on the island.