Henry M. Flagler's Influence On The Florida History Project
Xavier Johnson
AMH 2010 03C
Professor Amy Rieger
4/24/14
Florida History Project Henry M. Flagler's name may have gotten less acknowledgement than the man of the Standard Oil business, John D. Rockefeller, but even with the lack of recognition Flagler’s power was just as strong in the oil industry in the 1870s and 1880s,. Though Flagler was born in Hopewell, New York, in 1830 he left a lasting mark on the state of Florida and his influence easily reached the 20th century. Flagler’s greatest achievements came in the 1870’s and the 1880’s and his life encompassed the period of time that is discussed towards the end of the term in AMH 2010 O3C. Flagler’s journey to Florida encompassed several decades and a civil war but in the end the …show more content…
influence that he made on the state of Florida is undeniable (Henry Flagler Page One Citation #4).
At an early age Henry M. Flagler moved to Ohio earned his wealth in the grain business. After the Civil War, he entered into a partnership with John D. Rockefeller to found the Standard Oil Company (Celebrating the Legacy Citation #1). The Harkness family who was Flagler’s mother's second husband's family (David Harkness) played a helpful role in Henry's life for many years. In his early adult life Flagler found work on a barge and traveled along the newly opened Erie Canal to Lake Erie where he also worked at the small Harkness store in Republic, Ohio. At the Harkness store he began to work with his half-brother, Dan Harkness. Through hard work and learning all facets of the mercantile business, Flagler was promoted to manager when Dan moved to a larger store in Bellevue, Ohio which was the principal hometown of the Harkness family. After a total of five years, Flagler moved to Bellevue where he bought out a partner in one of the Harkness operations with money he had saved. The Harkness Company expanded into the grain and distillery businesses, and was later sold after Flagler had make a considerable amount of money. One of the grain brokers that Flagler shipped grain to was John D. Rockefeller in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1862, after selling the Harkness Company Flagler and Barney York formed a salt producing company that roared due to the demand brought on by the Civil War. When the Civil War ended in 1865, so did the huge demand for salt. The Flagler and York Salt Company went bankrupt about a year later, and Flagler booked a $50,000 debt. Instead of returning to Bellevue, the Flagella's moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he re-entered the grain business and renewed his relations with John D. Rockefeller. Attractive profits from the grain business allowed him pay off his debt and to have adequate money to invest in a new adventure. Flagler’s conversations with John Rockefeller mostly involved petroleum and not grain. In 1868 at age 37, Flagler joined with John Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews to form the Rockefeller, Andrews and Flagler Oil Refinery the RAF Refinery (Henry Flagler Page One Citation #4).
After almost twenty years in the oil industry Flagler looked to Florida for a fresh start and a change of scenery.
On Flagler’s second trip to Florida in 1882, he visited St. Augustine. He was delighted by the city and the weather but unsatisfied by the lack of hotels and transportation. Flagler recognized Florida’s potential to attract out-of-state visitors and decided to pour his oil fortune into the state’s development. In 1885, Flagler began construction on the 540-room Hotel Ponce de Leon hotel in St. Augustine. After realizing the need for transportation to his hotel ventures, Flagler began purchasing existing railroads. This was the start of Flagler’s extensive railroad system. About two years later, Flagler built a railroad bridge across the St. Johns River that granted access to the southern half of the state. Flagler then purchased a hotel, just north of Daytona, and extended his railroad and hotel empire to Palm Beach. Flagler’s hotels and railroad established Palm Beach as a winter resort for the wealthy members of American society. Flagler later built a palace, which was named Whitehall, as his residence in Palm Beach. Henry Flagler envisioned his next expansion, West Palm Beach, to be the end of his railroad system, but during 1894 and 1895, severe freezes hit the area. To convince Flagler to continue the railroad to Miami, Flagler was offered land in exchange for laying tracks. Flagler’s railroad, was named the Florida East Coast Railway, and it reached Biscayne Bay by 1896. Flagler dredged a channel, built streets, instituted the first water and power systems, and funded the Miami’s first newspaper. When the town united, its citizens wanted to honor the man responsible for its development by naming it Flagler. He turned down the honor. He persuaded them to keep the old Indian name, Miami (Famous Floridians Henry M. Flagler Citation
#3).
Overall, even with Flagler’s departure, Flagler's Midas touch had transformed the state of Florida. His buildings and the outgrowths of his businesses have remained an integral and significant part of the both the Miami’s and St. Augustine’s heritage (Henry Flagler’s; Influence on St. Augustine Citation #2).
Annotated Bibliography
1. "History: Henry Flagler." Celebrating the Legacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
The source seems reliable and is current fairly current. The copy right on the website states that it was published in 2012. The research is objective as it only provides fact and no source of opinion. The facts are well documented but provide chunks of Flagler’s life instead of details in chronological order. There is no author stated. The source scholarly as it was published by Flagler College. This article was vital to my research as it provided a general overview of the work that Flagler did for the state of Florida as well as provided some background knowledge about how he became interested in developing St. Augustine.
2. "Henry Flagler's Influence On St. Augustine | StAugustine.com." Henry Flagler's Influence On St. Augustine | StAugustine.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
This article is from a St. Augustine tribune and is reliable and current. The information provided in this article is both biased and objective the author interjects comments that are based off of pure opinion and there are also instances where objectivism is used. The facts are not well documented as large time frames go by without explanation as to when or why certain events happened. The information provided was very general but gave me the foundation to build my thesis statement.
3. "Famous Floridians: Henry Morrison Flagler." Famous Floridians: Henry Morrison Flagler. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
This is a reliable source as it was publish by USF. It is not really current as it was put out in 2002. The information provided is purely objective as information is given on the work that Henry M. Flagler did for the state of Florida? The facts are well documented and everything flows nicely in the article. Who is the author? Is she qualified in this subject? The source is scholarly. The article provided the necessary information to build by thesis statement and the research gathered proved vital to supporting my overall theme and purpose? This article was very specific to what Henry Flagler did in the state of Florida.
4. "Henry Flagler Page One." Henry Flagler Page One. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
The information provided is reliable and is updated every year? Why? The information is purely objective and based on facts only. The facts are extremely well documented. The author is Jerry Wilkinson and the source is scholarly. The information provided from this source fills in the holes left by the somewhat general and opinion based facts and statements provided by the previous sources. I was looking for information that was extremely specific, so this is just what I needed.
AMH 2010 03C
Professor Amy Rieger
4/24/14
Florida History Project Henry M. Flagler's name may have gotten less acknowledgement than the man of the Standard Oil business, John D. Rockefeller, but even with the lack of recognition Flagler’s power was just as strong in the oil industry in the 1870s and 1880s,. Though Flagler was born in Hopewell, New York, in 1830 he left a lasting mark on the state of Florida and his influence easily reached the 20th century. Flagler’s greatest achievements came in the 1870’s and the 1880’s and his life encompassed the period of time that is discussed towards the end of the term in AMH 2010 O3C. Flagler’s journey to Florida encompassed several decades and a civil war but in the end the …show more content…
influence that he made on the state of Florida is undeniable (Henry Flagler Page One Citation #4).
At an early age Henry M. Flagler moved to Ohio earned his wealth in the grain business. After the Civil War, he entered into a partnership with John D. Rockefeller to found the Standard Oil Company (Celebrating the Legacy Citation #1). The Harkness family who was Flagler’s mother's second husband's family (David Harkness) played a helpful role in Henry's life for many years. In his early adult life Flagler found work on a barge and traveled along the newly opened Erie Canal to Lake Erie where he also worked at the small Harkness store in Republic, Ohio. At the Harkness store he began to work with his half-brother, Dan Harkness. Through hard work and learning all facets of the mercantile business, Flagler was promoted to manager when Dan moved to a larger store in Bellevue, Ohio which was the principal hometown of the Harkness family. After a total of five years, Flagler moved to Bellevue where he bought out a partner in one of the Harkness operations with money he had saved. The Harkness Company expanded into the grain and distillery businesses, and was later sold after Flagler had make a considerable amount of money. One of the grain brokers that Flagler shipped grain to was John D. Rockefeller in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1862, after selling the Harkness Company Flagler and Barney York formed a salt producing company that roared due to the demand brought on by the Civil War. When the Civil War ended in 1865, so did the huge demand for salt. The Flagler and York Salt Company went bankrupt about a year later, and Flagler booked a $50,000 debt. Instead of returning to Bellevue, the Flagella's moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he re-entered the grain business and renewed his relations with John D. Rockefeller. Attractive profits from the grain business allowed him pay off his debt and to have adequate money to invest in a new adventure. Flagler’s conversations with John Rockefeller mostly involved petroleum and not grain. In 1868 at age 37, Flagler joined with John Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews to form the Rockefeller, Andrews and Flagler Oil Refinery the RAF Refinery (Henry Flagler Page One Citation #4).
After almost twenty years in the oil industry Flagler looked to Florida for a fresh start and a change of scenery.
On Flagler’s second trip to Florida in 1882, he visited St. Augustine. He was delighted by the city and the weather but unsatisfied by the lack of hotels and transportation. Flagler recognized Florida’s potential to attract out-of-state visitors and decided to pour his oil fortune into the state’s development. In 1885, Flagler began construction on the 540-room Hotel Ponce de Leon hotel in St. Augustine. After realizing the need for transportation to his hotel ventures, Flagler began purchasing existing railroads. This was the start of Flagler’s extensive railroad system. About two years later, Flagler built a railroad bridge across the St. Johns River that granted access to the southern half of the state. Flagler then purchased a hotel, just north of Daytona, and extended his railroad and hotel empire to Palm Beach. Flagler’s hotels and railroad established Palm Beach as a winter resort for the wealthy members of American society. Flagler later built a palace, which was named Whitehall, as his residence in Palm Beach. Henry Flagler envisioned his next expansion, West Palm Beach, to be the end of his railroad system, but during 1894 and 1895, severe freezes hit the area. To convince Flagler to continue the railroad to Miami, Flagler was offered land in exchange for laying tracks. Flagler’s railroad, was named the Florida East Coast Railway, and it reached Biscayne Bay by 1896. Flagler dredged a channel, built streets, instituted the first water and power systems, and funded the Miami’s first newspaper. When the town united, its citizens wanted to honor the man responsible for its development by naming it Flagler. He turned down the honor. He persuaded them to keep the old Indian name, Miami (Famous Floridians Henry M. Flagler Citation
#3).
Overall, even with Flagler’s departure, Flagler's Midas touch had transformed the state of Florida. His buildings and the outgrowths of his businesses have remained an integral and significant part of the both the Miami’s and St. Augustine’s heritage (Henry Flagler’s; Influence on St. Augustine Citation #2).
Annotated Bibliography
1. "History: Henry Flagler." Celebrating the Legacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
The source seems reliable and is current fairly current. The copy right on the website states that it was published in 2012. The research is objective as it only provides fact and no source of opinion. The facts are well documented but provide chunks of Flagler’s life instead of details in chronological order. There is no author stated. The source scholarly as it was published by Flagler College. This article was vital to my research as it provided a general overview of the work that Flagler did for the state of Florida as well as provided some background knowledge about how he became interested in developing St. Augustine.
2. "Henry Flagler's Influence On St. Augustine | StAugustine.com." Henry Flagler's Influence On St. Augustine | StAugustine.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
This article is from a St. Augustine tribune and is reliable and current. The information provided in this article is both biased and objective the author interjects comments that are based off of pure opinion and there are also instances where objectivism is used. The facts are not well documented as large time frames go by without explanation as to when or why certain events happened. The information provided was very general but gave me the foundation to build my thesis statement.
3. "Famous Floridians: Henry Morrison Flagler." Famous Floridians: Henry Morrison Flagler. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
This is a reliable source as it was publish by USF. It is not really current as it was put out in 2002. The information provided is purely objective as information is given on the work that Henry M. Flagler did for the state of Florida? The facts are well documented and everything flows nicely in the article. Who is the author? Is she qualified in this subject? The source is scholarly. The article provided the necessary information to build by thesis statement and the research gathered proved vital to supporting my overall theme and purpose? This article was very specific to what Henry Flagler did in the state of Florida.
4. "Henry Flagler Page One." Henry Flagler Page One. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
The information provided is reliable and is updated every year? Why? The information is purely objective and based on facts only. The facts are extremely well documented. The author is Jerry Wilkinson and the source is scholarly. The information provided from this source fills in the holes left by the somewhat general and opinion based facts and statements provided by the previous sources. I was looking for information that was extremely specific, so this is just what I needed.