Henry B. Plant: The King of Florida
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/4218052284_LmZjd7d-L.jpg)
Jacksonville and much of Florida owes a lot of gratitude to this railroad tycoon, whose 19th century infrastructure investments have paved the way for a 21st century Florida.
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-jul-henry-b-plant-the-king-of-florida
Great article.
I encourage everyone to go visit the Plant Museum. It is really something to behold. Everyone from Babe Ruth,to Thomas Edison, and Teddy Roosevelt stayed there.
The two grand old cities of Florida, Tampa and Jacksonville, forever linked.
(If you look on those old railroad maps, Orlando doesn't even show up for several more decades)
Sweet. Keep the history stuff coming.
Plant was pretty instrumental in jump starting urban growth in both cities. Here's the population of both between 1850 and 1930. Plant's first investment in Jax was streetcars in 1879. A year later, he extended his railroad to Jax (basically where the CSX building sits today). In 1883, his railroad reaches Tampa.
Tampa
1850 - 974
1870 - 796
1880 - 720 (Plant's railroad reaches Tampa in late 1883. Vicente Martinez Ybor moves his cigar operations to Tampa from Key West. Cigars shipped to US market by Plant's railroad.)
1890 - 5,532
1900 - 15,839
1910 - 37,782
1920 - 51,608 (Tampa annexes West Tampa, the other cigar manufacturing suburb, in 1925)
1930 - 101,161
Jacksonville
1850 - 1,045
1860 - 2,118
1870 - 6,912 (Plant establishes the Jacksonville Street Railway Company in 1879)
1880 - 7,650 (Plant's railroad is extended from Waycross to Jacksonville in 1881. Jax's populations increases 125% in the years between Plant's railroad arrival and Flagler extending the FEC across the river)
1890 - 17,201 (Flagler extends the FEC across the St. Johns in 1890)
1900 - 28,429
1910 - 57,699
1920 - 91,558
1930 - 129,549
So you're saying Plant was insignificant to the late 19th century growth of Jax and Tampa?
Interesting, considering Jax grew along his streetcar lines and his rail and steamboat lines bringing tourist to the state. My guess is, if not for the setbacks like Yellow Fever, Jax would have been larger thanit was by 1900.
Quote from: stephendare on July 21, 2015, 04:49:58 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on July 21, 2015, 04:46:11 PM
So you're saying Plant was insignificant to the late 19th century growth of Jax and Tampa?
sure at least as far as Jax is concerned. Notice the disproportionate numbers comparatively. between 80 and 90, for example, tampa grows 700%.
In Jax it barely doubles.
Between 1880 and 1890, Jax grew 125%, outgrowing Tampa in absolute numbers! That's higher than the 103% during the rebuilding after the Great Fire (1900 - 1910). That's pretty insane growth, especially when you factor in the deaths and bad press of the yellow fever outbreak that decade. The only decade since then that we've "grown" higher than that percentage is when the city merged with the county. 1960 to 1970, due to consolidation, the official city population grew 163%. Without a doubt, Plant's investments in Jax were significant in the 19th century and they keep on paying dividends for the city's economy today.
Imagine, no mention of massive taxpayer subsidies. The old guys could learn a few things from corporations today who perpetually look to government at all levels to shovel money into their pockets. They did it the hard way back then. How silly, when there are taxpayers everywhere you look, just waiting to be fleeced by the next corporation!
Rest in Peace, Mr. Plant. You earned it the old fashioned way.
Quote from: Redbaron616 on July 21, 2015, 08:07:34 PM
Imagine, no mention of massive taxpayer subsidies. The old guys could learn a few things from corporations today who perpetually look to government at all levels to shovel money into their pockets. They did it the hard way back then. How silly, when there are taxpayers everywhere you look, just waiting to be fleeced by the next corporation!
Rest in Peace, Mr. Plant. You earned it the old fashioned way.
You should do a little Google search on "railroad land grants"
Both Henry Plant and Henry Flagler definitely took advantage of railroad land grants to expand their holdings.
In addition to railroad land grants (IE, millions of acres of free land), Plant also benefitted from the use of prison labor (leased from the State for pennies on the dollar, you can search to learn about the deplorable conditions of prison labor during this time) to construct various stretches of his railroad lines... and also benefitted greatly from payments from the federal government during the Spanish-American War (various Plant companies obtained exclusive rights to transport US troops by ship and rail as well as providing and constructing quarters for said troops).
Plant wisely took advantage of Florida's debt problems as well as the perilous financial conditions of many short line railroads in assembling/building his rail/shipping empire in Florida.
So the evidence is in - Plant did indeed earn his fortune "the old fashioned way!"
Lol, how did they get to town? Delta? JetBlue?
BTW, the same yellow fever epidemic also devastated Tampa. We're not so unique in some aspects of our history.
Quote from: stephendare on July 22, 2015, 11:48:15 AM
Quote from: thelakelander on July 22, 2015, 11:44:02 AM
BTW, the same yellow fever epidemic also devastated Tampa. We're not so unique in some aspects of our history.
the difference of course is that the government actively helped out Jacksonville, lol.
I suppose that people found the giant port city on the east coast of the United States (the official port of entry for the state of Florida) that was built around it's river port the way that they always had ;)
What made Jacksonville an economic powerhouse of course was the rail to ocean connection that happened downtown.
I'm still don't see how you can suggest that Plant's rail and streetcar investments did not have a significant impact on Jax during the 19th century. Jax was a little dusty southern town before rail came to town.
Quote from: stephendare on July 22, 2015, 10:27:28 AM
Quote from: thelakelander on July 21, 2015, 07:49:20 PM
Quote from: stephendare on July 21, 2015, 04:49:58 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on July 21, 2015, 04:46:11 PM
So you're saying Plant was insignificant to the late 19th century growth of Jax and Tampa?
sure at least as far as Jax is concerned. Notice the disproportionate numbers comparatively. between 80 and 90, for example, tampa grows 700%.
In Jax it barely doubles.
Between 1880 and 1890, Jax grew 125%, outgrowing Tampa in absolute numbers! That's higher than the 103% during the rebuilding after the Great Fire (1900 - 1910). That's pretty insane growth, especially when you factor in the deaths and bad press of the yellow fever outbreak that decade. The only decade since then that we've "grown" higher than that percentage is when the city merged with the county. 1960 to 1970, due to consolidation, the official city population grew 163%. Without a doubt, Plant's investments in Jax were significant in the 19th century and they keep on paying dividends for the city's economy today.
Teddy Roosevelt intervened directly in Jacksonville's situation after the Yellow Fever Epidemic in 1888, Lake, I know you know this. Jacksonville became the state center for dealing with the aftermath of the disease and government resources flooded to the city. Its one of the reasons Jville was so solidly Progressive by the time of the Great Fire.
https://books.google.com/books?id=Yikk2eA9CuQC&pg=PA205&lpg=PA205&dq=yellow+fever+jacksonville+1889&source=bl&ots=eoYynGUER7&sig=BDxChWI-ZudxMLWv59G14ktCyTQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBWoVChMI_-650_fuxgIVwosNCh3ehg6I#v=onepage&q=yellow%20fever%20jacksonville%201889&f=false
The Subtropical Exposition, one of the other great 'tourist' draws of the era (before the rest of Florida was much more than an glimmer on the horizon) opened in 1888, just prior to the Yellow Fever Epidemic, and in fact was attended by Plant and many other luminaries. But after the Yellow Fever Outbreak, the Feds and the State poured a lot of resources into bringing people back to Jacksonville to help it recover.
here is a great resource:
http://www.fphsonline.com/jrnlpdf/journal08.1.pdf
surprised you didn't know that. ;)
The Yellow Fever was an interesting time. In Jacksonville, it resulted in the state government dissolving the local government and running the city for five years. Much of the state's investment locally done was to roll back the gains made by African-American during Reconstruction and ensure white dominance in Florida's largest city.
How would rolling back the gains made by African-Americans result in Jax becoming more progressive?
Quote from: thelakelander on July 22, 2015, 01:25:59 PM
How would rolling back the gains made by African-Americans result in Jax becoming more progressive?
Well, it got progressively worse for African-Americans after that. Beyond that, I got nothing.
Quote from: stephendare on July 21, 2015, 04:49:58 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on July 21, 2015, 04:46:11 PM
So you're saying Plant was insignificant to the late 19th century growth of Jax and Tampa?
sure at least as far as Jax is concerned. Notice the disproportionate numbers comparatively. between 80 and 90, for example, tampa grows 700%.
In Jax it barely doubles.
Rail in Jax is probably more significant to the 20th century growth as Rail Networks and continental wealth became more prominent to the larger economy. Surely you can see that in the numbers.
An email from Ock that I think is worth sharing in this thread:
QuoteEnnis, Plants railroads were by far the most important lines to reach Jacksonville and beyond. Without Plant's system the FEC would have died on the vine. The NS line was essentially a shortline until the 20Th Century, and the lines that would become the Seaboard Air Line in the 1890's had suffered bankruptcy after bankruptcy for decades, both before and AFTER the SAL came into being. PLANT brought about a solvent, solid, carrier that Florida had not seen before.
Throughout the early 20th century, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was known as 'THE STANDARD RAILROAD OF THE SOUTH.' There was a story in that, more then a slogan, Plant had indeed created THE STANDARD which all other carriers would strive for.
Flagler joked with him once; "Friend Plant, where is this place they call Tampa?" Plant didn't miss a step in his reply; "Friend Flagler, just follow the crowds!"
A funny thing happened with his taking control of the Main Street Railway Company. This line had been built to 3' foot narrow gauge, when they modernized with electric cars the owners had the entire route rebuilt to standard gauge 4' 8 1/2". When Plant's Jacksonville Street Railroad bought out the road a city ordinance designed to keep Plant from killing the competition through the agency of his streetcar line forced him to RE-RE-Gauge the entire line to 5' 2" 'JACKSONVILLE TRACTION GAUGE'. This was done to guarantee that the streetcar line could never carry freight cars in interchange service and competition to the other railroads. (St. Augustine, Fernandina and Green Cove Springs streetcar lines ALL carried freight and passengers).
Quote from: acme54321 on July 21, 2015, 11:59:12 PM
Quote from: Redbaron616 on July 21, 2015, 08:07:34 PM
Imagine, no mention of massive taxpayer subsidies. The old guys could learn a few things from corporations today who perpetually look to government at all levels to shovel money into their pockets. They did it the hard way back then. How silly, when there are taxpayers everywhere you look, just waiting to be fleeced by the next corporation!
Rest in Peace, Mr. Plant. You earned it the old fashioned way.
You should do a little Google search on "railroad land grants"
acme, the 'free land myth,' is an oft repeated anti-rail lobby fiction. IN REALITY: Land grants had a big payoff for the federal government, as the railroads had to give the government reduced rates to ship. When this expired in 1946, the railroads had repaid the government at 10 times the value of the land.