Henry Plant and Henry Flagler
Henry Bradley Plant was born on October 27, 1819 in Brandford, Connecticut to a modest farming family.After marrying Ellen Blackstone in 1842, Plant secured a position in the Adams Express Company.In 1854, Henry and Ellen moved to Augusta, Georgia where he was appointed superinendent for the Southern Division of the Adams Express Company. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the Adams Express Company sold their southern express lines that ran through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to Henry. Henry reorganized the express lines and renamed them to the," Southern Express Company."
After doing this, Henry began immersing himself in his network, and started purchasing bankrupt railroads in 1879. As he bought these railroads, Henry began working his way into Florida, and started by opening the Waycross Short Line in 1881 that ran between Waycross, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida. A year later, Henry formed the Plant Investment Company (PICO). With the investment support of PICO , Plant aqcuired existing rail lines and began to lay new track, which allowed the first steam engine to arrive in Tampa in 1884.
Rail travel wasn't the only way that Plant contributed to the Era of Florida Tourism , he also purchased the People's Line of Steamboats that sailed along Florida's Rivers. By 1890, he even began creating the Plant Steamship Line that sailed between Boston, Hlifax, Cape Brenton, and Prince Edward Island .Henry branded his networks of railroads and steamships as "The Plant System", which was the most profitable transportation network in the 1880's and 1890's.
Another name in the industry was Henry Morrison Flagler, born on January 2, 1830 in Hopewell, New York He later moved to Bellevue, Ohio at age 14. Sadly, in 1878, Flagler's wife Mary, who had struggled with health issues became very ill, advice from a physician said that visiting Florida for the winter might be beneficial. Mary passed away in 1881.
Flagler remarried 2 years later and they traveled to St. Augustine after their wedding. Henry believed that St. Augustine had the potential to attract vast numbers of tourists, but was disappointed in the lack of transportation systems and hotels. After this, Flagler revisited St. Augustine and began the constuction of the 540- room Hotel Ponce de Leon in 1885. To support his hotel ventures, Henry bought the Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Halifax Railroad, that would eventually become the Florida East Coast Railway system. Two years later, Flagler expanded his hotel empire by purchasing Hotel Ormond which is just North of Daytona. Flagler's dream was always to expand his empire father East toward Key West, and in 1905, after the United States agreed to take on the Panama Canal Project, Flagler took his plan into action. To do this, he added 156 miles worth of track which was moslty over water and Flagler named this the 'Over-Sea Railroad". Key West was one of Florida's most populated cities, and Flagler's railroad that was finally completed in 1912, made it an attractive tourist destination.
After doing this, Henry began immersing himself in his network, and started purchasing bankrupt railroads in 1879. As he bought these railroads, Henry began working his way into Florida, and started by opening the Waycross Short Line in 1881 that ran between Waycross, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida. A year later, Henry formed the Plant Investment Company (PICO). With the investment support of PICO , Plant aqcuired existing rail lines and began to lay new track, which allowed the first steam engine to arrive in Tampa in 1884.
Rail travel wasn't the only way that Plant contributed to the Era of Florida Tourism , he also purchased the People's Line of Steamboats that sailed along Florida's Rivers. By 1890, he even began creating the Plant Steamship Line that sailed between Boston, Hlifax, Cape Brenton, and Prince Edward Island .Henry branded his networks of railroads and steamships as "The Plant System", which was the most profitable transportation network in the 1880's and 1890's.
Another name in the industry was Henry Morrison Flagler, born on January 2, 1830 in Hopewell, New York He later moved to Bellevue, Ohio at age 14. Sadly, in 1878, Flagler's wife Mary, who had struggled with health issues became very ill, advice from a physician said that visiting Florida for the winter might be beneficial. Mary passed away in 1881.
Flagler remarried 2 years later and they traveled to St. Augustine after their wedding. Henry believed that St. Augustine had the potential to attract vast numbers of tourists, but was disappointed in the lack of transportation systems and hotels. After this, Flagler revisited St. Augustine and began the constuction of the 540- room Hotel Ponce de Leon in 1885. To support his hotel ventures, Henry bought the Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Halifax Railroad, that would eventually become the Florida East Coast Railway system. Two years later, Flagler expanded his hotel empire by purchasing Hotel Ormond which is just North of Daytona. Flagler's dream was always to expand his empire father East toward Key West, and in 1905, after the United States agreed to take on the Panama Canal Project, Flagler took his plan into action. To do this, he added 156 miles worth of track which was moslty over water and Flagler named this the 'Over-Sea Railroad". Key West was one of Florida's most populated cities, and Flagler's railroad that was finally completed in 1912, made it an attractive tourist destination.