Video: How Flagler & Plant Changed Florida

[Metro Jacksonville]

Video: How Flagler & Plant Changed Florida



Follow The Crowds: The brief video documentary of how the railroad expansion competition between Henry Flagler and Henry Plant changed the face of Florida.


Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-apr-video-how-flagler-plant-changed-florida

[I-10east]

Great article. IMO Flagler and Plant were great for the overall state of Florida concerning development; The city of Jacksonville in particular concerning Flagler, not so much. I'm not sure if Flagler's resorts risen during Jax's malaria outbreak or not, but Jax didn't even get a Flagler resort; Rockledge for Christ's sake had one, and I didn't even heard or knew were Rockledge was until now. You could clearly see the mindset back then was to push on and further explore and develop down there in Southern Florida, and leave Northern Florida (besides St Augustine) behind.   

[thelakelander]

Flagler did build a resort here. Flagler opened the Continental Hotel on June 1, 1901. This massive wooden yellow hotel was 47 feet by 447 feet with a six story rotunda and five story wings. The dining room could seat 350. There were 186 sleeping apartments (later 200) and 56 baths. The hotel contained other buildings such as servants' quarters, a bowling alley, a power plant, water works, pier and a railroad depot.  The Continental was destroyed by fire in 1919.



Flagler was also instrumental in getting the Jacksonville Terminal built (Prime Osborn) and his railroad's main yard was and is still here today.

[Tacachale]

Cool video.

Yes, Flagler did a lot for Jacksonville as well as St. Augustine. However, the infrastructure laid down by these companies opened up much of the rest of the state and let it grow quickly afterward. We've now been surpassed in size by other areas of the state: first the Tampa Bay area, then Miami-Fort Lauderdale (which jumped both Jacksonville and Tampa), and more recently Orlando, which is on pace to jump Tampa as well. But the city has continued to grow. During the Flagler era, we were a small town that happened to be the biggest in one of the most backwoods states. We're now a growing mid-sized city that happens to be the fourth largest in the fourth (soon third) largest state.

[thelakelander]

The extension of infrastructure did help facilitate growth to other areas of the state. But to be honest, being surpassed by them has just as much to do with us shooting ourselves in the foot over the last century than anything else.

[mtraininjax]

Flagler was a part of the building of the Jacksonville Terminal as the major railroads all kicked in to have it built. So take it easy on the bashing of Flagler's contributions in Jax. He also did work to build the double-stack of rails over the water, where as they used to use ferrys, and then a swing bridge, much like the one over the Nassau Sound/A1A.

Flagler and Plant were great explorers, Jacksonville was just in the wrong place for these pioneers. It represented the beginning of FL and they wanted to explore it all and did. Florida is better for the people they have brought here.

[spuwho]

The extension of infrastructure did help facilitate growth to other areas of the state. But to be honest, being surpassed by them has just as much to do with us shooting ourselves in the foot over the last century than anything else.

Talent goes where the opportunities are. As the opportunities moved further south, so did the talent.

The video does explain the ongoing development culture here in the state.  The state grew due to development of tourism and development of properties. Something that still exists today.

Jacksonville existed before these statewide cultures were established and therefore doesn't quite embrace it, we have a different foundation, though we keep trying.

[Tacachale]

The extension of infrastructure did help facilitate growth to other areas of the state. But to be honest, being surpassed by them has just as much to do with us shooting ourselves in the foot over the last century than anything else.

We've definitely been shooting ourselves in the foot for a while, but I'd challenge the notion that this is the main reason the other cities surpassed us. As it happens, I'm writing a paper on Jacksonville and Florida in the early 20th century. 100 years ago the Tampa Bay area was already as big or bigger than Jacksonville. It grew due to factors like the opening of the wetlands, expansion of citrus (when it was leaving North Florida due to the weather), and the railroads for tourism, industry and the port. In the 19th century it became one of the few Southern cities to have serious industry (cigars) and see a lot of immigration. Jacksonville also had (and still has) a cigar industry and attracted immigrants, but not nearly to that extent. By the time the cigar industry declined in Tampa in the 1940s, the city easily had the infrastructure for further expansion. However, both were still small cities on a national and even regional scale and both have continued to grow impressively.

Miami was something no one saw coming, even Flagler. Again, the draining of the Everglades (not a great move, in retrospect), expansion of citrus, and the railroads led to the initial growth. Orlando was basically Lakeland or Ocala before Disney. This isn't something that would have happened in any other area. Even that was infrastructure (roads this time). Local interests convinced the state to run the major road projects through their area instead of elsewhere, hoping to sell cheap land off to big investors. They couldn't have know it would be Disney, but they got their wish.

The extension of infrastructure did help facilitate growth to other areas of the state. But to be honest, being surpassed by them has just as much to do with us shooting ourselves in the foot over the last century than anything else.

Talent goes where the opportunities are. As the opportunities moved further south, so did the talent.

The video does explain the ongoing development culture here in the state.  The state grew due to development of tourism and development of properties. Something that still exists today.

Jacksonville existed before these statewide cultures were established and therefore doesn't quite embrace it, we have a different foundation, though we keep trying.

I wouldn't say the foundation is different, I'd say it had a similar foundation, but in an earlier period. By the time growth boomed elsewhere in the state Jacksonville was already well established and had a more diversified economy. Tampa was pretty similar, but being in Central Florida closer to some of the other growth areas, it's participated in that paradigm more than Jacksonville has.

[thelakelander]

The extension of infrastructure did help facilitate growth to other areas of the state. But to be honest, being surpassed by them has just as much to do with us shooting ourselves in the foot over the last century than anything else.

We've definitely been shooting ourselves in the foot for a while, but I'd challenge the notion that this is the main reason the other cities surpassed us. As it happens, I'm writing a paper on Jacksonville and Florida in the early 20th century. 100 years ago the Tampa Bay area was already as big or bigger than Jacksonville. It grew due to factors like the opening of the wetlands, expansion of citrus (when it was leaving North Florida due to the weather), and the railroads for tourism, industry and the port. In the 19th century it became one of the few Southern cities to have serious industry (cigars) and see a lot of immigration. Jacksonville also had (and still has) a cigar industry and attracted immigrants, but not nearly to that extent. By the time the cigar industry declined in Tampa in the 1940s, the city easily had the infrastructure for further expansion.

Very true. I've long stated in various threads throughout the years that sometimes, we consider ourselves to be somewhat larger and more important than we ever were in reality.  During the late 19th century, the Tampa Bay area was just as large or larger than Jax. Jax also was one of a few Southern cities to have serious industry.....shipbuilding and forest products.

However, both were still small cities on a national and even regional scale and both have continued to grow impressively.

I agree in general.  Both were and still are pimples on the ass of America. Both metropolitan areas have sprawled at impressive rates but the actual cities (land area covered before 1950) have declined rust belt style since 1950.  The loss has been overlooked due to outward growth and annexation.

Miami was something no one saw coming, even Flagler. Again, the draining of the Everglades (not a great move, in retrospect), expansion of citrus, and the railroads led to the initial growth.

South Florida surpassed the Jax region in population before 1920. It was swift but it's not like we were really that large to begin with.

Orlando was basically Lakeland or Ocala before Disney. This isn't something that would have happened in any other area. Even that was infrastructure (roads this time). Local interests convinced the state to run the major road projects through their area instead of elsewhere, hoping to sell cheap land off to big investors. They couldn't have know it would be Disney, but they got their wish.

To me, Orlando is the one that came out of thin air.  Yes, before the opening of Disney in 1971, Orlando was essentially a citrus town that was the exact same size as Lakeland is today. The lion's share of it's growth has come over the last 40 years.  Very impressive, even if most of it is sprawl.

Nevertheless, I'd argue that how things have turned out with the movie industry, the loss of our early 20th century enlightened black community, the elimination of home grown banks due to mergers, loss of unique neighborhoods/building stock to failed urban renewal projects, etc. have economically impacted the rate of growth and development in Jax, moreso then the building of infrastructure and growth of cities south of us. History has shown time and time again that even the cultivation of a single industry or movement can directly lead to millions of people coming your way over following decades.

For example, just look at the growth and prosperity of Charlotte since the 1980s. Much of that is directly a result of the strengthening of the financial sector locally, which also served as a negative for communities that lost their home grown companies in the process. Prior to then, Charlotte was similar in scale and size to Orlando without Disney and the rest of the theme parks.

On the flip end, you have Birmingham, which was more of a competitor with Atlanta prior to 1950 than today. Atlanta benefitted from a progressive stance on racial issues and the growth of a few local companies while the exact opposite (regressive racial policies, decline in iron & steel manufacturing) took place in Birmingham over the same time period. Several events over a 10-15 period in those two cities decades ago, have sent them in totally different directions despite them only being 2 hours apart.

The extension of infrastructure did help facilitate growth to other areas of the state. But to be honest, being surpassed by them has just as much to do with us shooting ourselves in the foot over the last century than anything else.

Talent goes where the opportunities are. As the opportunities moved further south, so did the talent.

The video does explain the ongoing development culture here in the state.  The state grew due to development of tourism and development of properties. Something that still exists today.

Jacksonville existed before these statewide cultures were established and therefore doesn't quite embrace it, we have a different foundation, though we keep trying.

I wouldn't say the foundation is different, I'd say it had a similar foundation, but in an earlier period. By the time growth boomed elsewhere in the state Jacksonville was already well established and had a more diversified economy. Tampa was pretty similar, but being in Central Florida closer to some of the other growth areas, it's participated in that paradigm more than Jacksonville has.

Historically, Tampa has benefitted by having a waterfront location and port. Even today, Polk County's citrus and phosphate industries remain the primarily reason Tampa's port is the largest in the state by tonnage. But when you think about it, I guess people could make the same argument about Jax and most port cities.

[Ocklawaha]

Tampa likes to boast of it's 'largest port' status by tonnage, of course they have the tonnage edge, they are primarily a port for ROCKS!  Taken by other measurements, RO-RO, Containers, Auto's, Break-bulk, Fuels etc. Tampa pales in comparison to Miami, West Palm, Jaxport and even Panama City.

[For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A]

The old CEO of JaxPort thought Tampa was a step up.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/JaxPort-CEO-offered-job-in-Tampa/17401028

Tampa and Jacksonville are my two favorite cities in Florida because they have the most real history and character. They are also in similar places today with attempting to revitalize their downtowns although Tampa is further along. Also, St. Pete has developed into a great city as well in Tampa Bay.