Flagler Beach

By 1916, Ocean City Beach had its own "casino" that included showers and changing rooms for beachgoers at what is now the northwest corner of SR A1A and SR 100. This was followed by the construction of the Flagler Beach Hotel in 1925, the year that Flagler Beach became a city.

Post office officials had the name changed from Ocean City Beach because there were already two such towns - one in Maryland and one in New Jersey. Before zip codes were introduced, this made for great confusion. It was also too long. So the name was changed to Flagler Beach. The city's developers always recognized the beach and its attraction to residents and visitors alike. So, within the city, entrepreneurs built a fishing pier (located near Ocean Marina Drive), dressing rooms, and showers for visitors. However, most of the historic structures like the original pier, the hotel, and the casino were destroyed by hurricanes or fires and were demolished for new development.

Improved access to the area came in 1920 when the first bridge access to the Intracoastal-waterway was constructed. This made it easier for developers to promote their beachside amenities. It also aided the area residents who supplied fish caught from the ocean or from the waterway to Bunnell for shipping on the railroad, as well as 90,000 palm buds for Easter by water to St. Augustine and 50,000 coontie fern leaves which were used in seasonal decorations.

In the mid to late 1920s, an airstrip was cleared and the Flagler Beach Airport was established. In 1931, Charles Lindbergh made an emergency landing due to heavy fog and stayed for a week at the Flagler Beach Hotel. He visited again in 1934. Additionally, Admiral Byrd (1932) and Amelia Earheart (1936) landed at the Flagler Beach Airport.

1927 was a year of great importance in the corridor. Ocean Shore Boulevard was completed and the "Atlantic Coastal Highway" provided access to the City of Flagler Beach from the north with the completion of the Matanzas Inlet Bridge. Major portions of the roadway were built by local developers to provide access to the Oceanside subdivisions. Florida Legislature and the Flagler County Commission recognized local architect and builder Dana F. Fuquay by having a portion of the roadway named D. F. Fuquay Boulevard. Fuquay's home, built in 1927, is currently the Topaz Hotel.

That same year the 656-foot municipal pier was completed. It has become the "center of the city" and the center of beachside recreation in the town. The town continued to promote its resources by constructing a boardwalk with picnic huts and a lunchroom, later to be expanded and named the Pier Restaurant. In 1926, a Flagler Beach Chamber of Commerce brochure (in anticipation of the completion of the Matanzas Inlet Bridge) describes the trip along the new coastal highway to "A City of Destiny" as follows:

"From out of this beautiful wooded section of the boulevard, a street will again wind its way to the ocean front, ten miles of which will lie within the town limits of Flagler Beach, with ocean fronts and residences facing it and bringing to view the splendor of the breakers on one side and the fertile fields and groves on the other.

"The atmosphere of this magnificent scenic highway will be tempered by the Gulf Stream during the winter months and during the summer by the cool, gentle breezes predominating along the Atlantic Seaboard, making a speedway unequalled.

"To the sportsman, Flagler Beach offers the finest of fishing and hunting. Ocean, lakes and canal abound in fish of almost every variety: sea bass, whiting, pompano, trout and drum, with the lakes and canal producing large and luscious oysters.

"The surf bathing at Flagler Beach is equal to any on the Atlantic Ocean and is enjoyed the year round by young and old.

"Economical water transportation is a natural advantage of which Flagler Beach Boasts.

"On the East Coast Canal, which runs through a section of the town, freight boats ply daily between Jacksonville, Flagler Beach and Daytona...Through this famous waterway the luxurious yachts of the wealthy pass coming from all parts of the world."

The area was further described as "a city of beauty and destiny where ocean breezes mingle with the scent of orange blossoms." The area was part of the "American Riviera" during the Florida boom times and was even referred to as "El Dorado de Florida".

Explore the Flagler Beach Museum to learn more about its rich history.
www.flaglerbeachmuseum.com