How Henry Flagler Created Florida: A Guide to St. Augustine in the Gilded Age

The Gilded Age was the time when America became America, the envy of the entire world. Accumulation of massive wealth created the brass ring everyone would long to grasp. This was on full display in St. Augustine as it became the winter destination for the richest and most powerful of this era. On this walking tour, you’ll discover how an industrialist from New York named Henry Flagler saw the potential of this small town – which had become known as a refuge for sickly individuals seeking milder climates – and turned it into the place to be. We’ll retrace Flagler’s steps and find out how he catapulted this quaint colonial town into the cradle of Florida tourism.

Starting outside Potter’s Wax Museum, you’ll make your way to Cordova Street, where I’ll tell you how Florida state encouraged wealthy businessmen to build railway lines. At the humble but important Flagler Cottage, you’ll find out about the building’s crucial role in establishing and maintaining Henry’s empire. At Ponce de Leon Hotel, I’ll show you the Flagler monument where the man who built Florida is immortalized.

On your journey, you’ll:

• Walk the same streets as legends like Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, and Mellon, in what was once the power center for the giants of the Gilded Age
• Stroll through the unique Flagler College and learn about its origins
• See the awesome religious centers of the era, including Grace United Methodist Church and Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church
• Bear witness to how Mr. Flagler envisioned Florida to become the American Riviera, and find out what steps he took to launch his plan in the nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine
• Find out just why St. Augustine has remained a European-style city in the middle of American development at today's Villa Zorayda Museum, with its Moorish architecture
• See how Flagler rivals attempted to capitalize on the whirlwind development of 1880s St. Augustine with the construction of the immense Casa Monica Hotel See the overwhelming Hotel Ponce de Leon, the spark that would ignite Florida’s tourism future, and the most luxurious hotel in the world at the time of its construction, as well as its sister the Hotel Alcazar

By the end of this 45-minute walk, you’ll understand the power of one man’s vision, and his will to create a culture that would define his legacy for generations to come. Henry Flagler was the man who built Florida.