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Henry Morrison Flagler and
the Florida East Coast Railway are the most important factors in the
early development of Florida and West Palm Beach.
Visiting Florida in 1882, Flagler saw the potential for agriculture
and tourism but recognized the lack of hotels and a transportation
system.
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Starting in 1885, he began
construction on his first hotel in St. Augustine. At the same time
he started amassing railroads and forming what would later become
the Florida East Coast Railway.
In 1890, Flagler built a bridge over the St. John's River - an event
which opened the southern portion of the state to development. |
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Flagler had intended to end
his railroad in West Palm but severe weather in 1894 and 1895 caused
him to change his plans and extend it southward to Biscayne Bay and
later Key West.
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Today, the waterfront drive along the intracoastal
bears his name and his home "Whitehall" is open to the public
as the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach. |
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