Railroads Change Florida

The Railroad System

The Internal Improvement Act of 1855 granted railroad companies land in exchange for new tracks. The state government supported the railroads because better transportation would help facilitate a stronger economy for Florida. With state support, railroad developers began linking East and West Florida. Senator David L. Yulee became the president of the Florida Railroad, completed in 1860, that connected the port cities of Fernandina and Cedar Key.

New railway construction progressed slowly until the Civil War. Union attacks destroyed some sections of the Florida railroads. Florida's Confederate government temporarily removed tracks in other locations to prevent Union forces from using the railroads.

The Confederate government moved to seize existing rails to reuse the iron for new rail lines to transport troops and supplies. Despite some cooperation between railroad owners and the Confederate government, railroad operators such as David Yulee met the state's efforts to take over lines with resistance-and even legal action.

Trolleys

Trolleys were usually lighter than trains and ran on tracks built into city streets.

Connecting the Cities

During the 1880s and 1890s, Henry Flagler expanded train lines through Jacksonville and down the East coast to Miami. Before the arrival of the railroad, Miami was a town of fewer than 300 people. The mail was delivered on foot by a postal carrier who walked barefoot along the beach. When Miami stayed warm and green during the great freeze of 1894-95, Flagler was convinced that it was worth expanding his railroad.

Henry Plant had become wealthy running the successful Southern Express during the Civil War. Plant expanded train lines to Tampa and the West coast.

Flagler and Plant built grand hotels to entice vacationers seeking sun and luxury. The railroads connected Florida's developing industrial centers, tourist destinations, agricultural sectors and growing communities.

Hotel Ponce de Leon

Flagler built the Ponce de Leon as part of a chain of hotels along his Florida East Coast Railway. He hoped to induce wealthy northeastern tourists to come down and spend their winters in the Sunshine State. Flagler commissioned New York architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings to design a Spanish palace with courts, nooks for reading, tropical gardens, fountains and towers. The hotel opened on January 10, 1888.

Each room was equipped with steam heat, which to many seemed an odd fit for a Florida hotel. Another novelty was the presence of electric lights in every room. The hotel was forced to hire extra staff to turn the lights off and on for guests who were afraid of being shocked!