The seeds for Henry Flagler's "drift south" from the cold winters of Ohio and New York were likely started by Henry's first wife Mary...

Flagler's Royal Poinciana, opened February 11, 1894 Henry Flagler developed Florida as a second career after founding Standard Oil with Rockefeller. He saw a problem with transportation and acquired railroads, built a railway system, and large resort hotels to attract tourists. He initially started assembling railroad systems and building hotels in St. Augustine. There he built the Ponce de Leon and Alcazar hotels and bought the Casa Monica. The Cordova(white building on left

Florence Harkness Severance, the only daughter of Stephen V. Harkness and his second wife, Anna M. Richardson Harkness. Harkness made his...