The Florida East Coast Railway
Flagler returned to Florida in 1883 with his second wife and purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Halifax River Railroads. In the beginning, Flagler did not lay new tracks. He concentrated his efforts on much-needed improvements to the existing railroads. Then, in 1892, he began construction on new railroad tracks, which ventured south to West Palm Beach. But the people of Florida wanted him to expand further south.
Julia Tuttle, founder of the town of Fort Dallas saw Flagler’s FEC railway as an opportunity to improve and grow her beloved town. She was determined to convince him to extend the railway toward the area by giving him half of the town. He consented with the condition that the name be changed from Fort Dallas to Miami, the Seminole name for a river that flowed through the small town. Flagler promised to eventually extend his railway to Biscayne Bay. |
"And Henry Flagler came along, prepared and ready, with the capital to construct railroads down the east coast. And eventually he constructed his railroad out to sea, all the way to Key West."
- Dr. Eugene Lyon, Professor of History Emeritus at Flagler College
". . . railroad industry reshaped the American built environment and reoriented American thinking."
- The Architecture of Leisure by Susan R. Braden
Documents and letters pertaining to the FEC Railway.