Ormond Beach Vacation, History of Ormond Beach

Enjoy a piece of history on your next vacation to Ormond Beach

Ormond Beach was once the home of the Timucuan Indians until war and disease decimated the tribe. The city was then given as a reward to an Anglo-Irish-Scotch sea captain by King Ferdinand VII of Spain for serving him well during the Napoleonic Wars. The city gets its name from this sea captain - James Ormond I. Florida would later be acquired by the United States from Spain in 1821 and eventually Ormond Beach was settled by inhabitants from Connecticut.

It wasn’t until after the Civil War that Florida became a popular tourist attraction according to Ramara Garrett of Waverly Property Group. With its beautiful, pristine white sand beaches, the wealthy industrialists from the north began to flock to the south for Florida vacations. Many wealthy northerners bought vacation homes along the east coast of Florida. The Saint Johns and Halifax railroad arrived in 1886 and Henry Flagler bought the Ormond Hotel in 1888. As it happened, one of Henry Flagler’s friends and former business partner was non other than John D. Rockefeller. After vacationing for four years in a row in Ormond Beach, Rockefeller bought an estate known as the Casements. It would be his Florida winter home during the later part of his life.

The Ormond Beach Historical Society (OBHS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Ormond Beach’s history. When it was originally established in 1976 , its primary goal was to save John D. Rockefeller’s Ormond Beach winter home from demolition. The Casements was ultimately preserved and the OBHS has since restored it to its original grandeur. Today the home serves as the Ormond Beach’s cultural center. The Ormond Hotel that served as the meeting place for Flagler and Rockefeller was demolished in 1992. The Cupola, however was salvaged by the OBHS and is on display as the centerpiece of city’s Fortunato Park. The Cupola stood atop the hotel’s roof near the center of the massive structure. From its perch atop the hotel, guests had a clear view of both ocean and river. Ramara Garrett of Waverly Property Group says that the OBHS offers bus tours 2-3 times a month and hour long walking tours September through June. With either Ormond Beach tour you will gave a knowledgeable guide to explain the history of this fascinating area. If you happen to be in Ormond Beach in December, don’t miss the Holiday Tour of Homes. For more information on the area, or to reserve a beachside Ormond Beach vacation rental for your next vacation in Ormond Beach, call Ramara Garrett at the Waverly Property Group.

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