Venice in the 1920s
()
About this ebook
Read more from Gregg M Turner
Railroads of Southwest Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe New York and New England Railroad Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam and Henry Walters: Father & Son Founders of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Venice in the 1920s
Related ebooks
The Ellis Island Quiz Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWest Palm Beach: 1893 to 1950 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegendary Locals of West Palm Beach Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTreasure Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrowing Up in San Francisco: More Boomer Memories from Playland to Candlestick Park Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlainfield Township Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCanada the Good: A Short History of Vice since 1500 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSixteen years in Siberia: Some experiences of a Russian revolutionist Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAthens Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArt of the Gold Rush: (Published in association with the Oakland Museum of California and the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistoric Photos of Seattle in the 50s, 60s, and 70s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistory of the Venetian Republic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLighthouses of Greater Los Angeles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStarved Rock State Park:: The Work of the CCC Along the I&M Canal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5German Chicago Revisited Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJersey Legends Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5East Boston Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore: An Illustrated History of Railway Stations in Canada Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Old Inns of England (Vol. 1&2) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDepicting Canada’s Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDownton Abbey and Philosophy: The Truth Is Neither Here Nor There Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Day at Pavia and Its Certosa From Milan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRock Lake Station Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDead Letters: Censorship and subversion in New Zealand 1914–1920 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5South Holland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBoston's Back Bay in the Victorian Era Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPioneer Family: Life on Florida's Twentieth-Century Frontier Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Jennings Family of Yorkshire, New Zealand, Tonga Book 2: Descendants of Lupemu’a Veamatahau, Hulita Fainga’a, Nina Hafoka Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpringfield: Volume I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States History For You
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Kids: A National Book Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Awakening: Defeating the Globalists and Launching the Next Great Renaissance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing the Guys Who Killed the Guy Who Killed Lincoln: A Nutty Story About Edwin Booth and Boston Corbett Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Benjamin Franklin: An American Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Library Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51776 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red, White, and Black: Rescuing American History from Revisionists and Race Hustlers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifties Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Venice in the 1920s
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Venice in the 1920s - Gregg M Turner
486–2487
INTRODUCTION
Florida is a great laboratory of town and city planning and building. Almost everything that is good and everything that is bad is to be seen in the flesh.
—City Planner John Nolen, 1926
Over the decades Venice, Florida, has become a Mecca for tourists, transplants, and retirees. Located on the lower Gulf Coast below Sarasota, the city boasts a balmy climate, unlimited boating and fishing, and a famous ocean beach; further, many of its homes and buildings have a unique Spanish flavor and front on a friendly network of streets and parks. The City By the Gulf
actually came of age during the spectacular Florida Land Boom of the 1920s. In the pages ahead we explore how this remarkable story unfolded, but our journey first begins with something about the Boom itself.
Boom fever, which was fueled by money, newcomers, construction, promotions, and real estate, affected virtually every region of the Sunshine State. In fact, enough Florida land was subdivided during the era as to completely re-house the then-existing population of the United States. By the mid-1920s, no less than 24 new communities had surfaced along Florida’s extensive coastline. One of them was Venice.
The Boom was largely financed by postwar prosperity. Farmers had grown rich meeting wartime demands, factory workers had accumulated savings, and many manufacturers and industrialists had made fortunes during the First World War. Bank deposits stood at record levels, which put bankers and financiers in an expansive mood. Once the armistice was signed, many Americans started to turn their thoughts toward travel and vacations, and there was no more of an inviting destination than sunny Florida—land of emerald waters, tropical flowers, and royal palms. Waves of people soon descended upon the Sunshine State. Many arrived in the family car (as Tin Can Tourists) but shiny limousines also came down Florida roadways like the Dixie Highway. Other newcomers traveled by airliner, boat, or private yacht. Countless, though, arrived by train—in coach, Pullman, and private rail cars. In fact the demand was so great during the Boom that new trains had to be introduced and extra sections added to existing runs.
To the joy of Floridians, these vacationers and newcomers started to pour serious money into the state’s economy. Hotel, apartment, and lodge owners immediately benefited as did store proprietors and restaurateurs. Many snowbirds liked what they saw and decided to purchase a place in the sun, or at least buy land for a future home. This paved the way for numerous construction projects around the state. New subdivisions appeared and service industries flourished. Then, many folks started to speculate in real estate, buying something one year and selling it the next at a handsome profit. Others tried turning
their investment the same season, the following month, or even the same day. Real estate success stories became commonplace and were circulated up North
to friends and neighbors, who in turn came down to learn more about the Florida miracle. And in this way the frenzy began. Between 1923 and 1925 an estimated 300,000 people permanently settled into the Sunshine State. Over a dozen new counties were created during the Roaring Twenties, and it was estimated that in 1925 alone some 2.5 million people visited the state. Everyone, it seemed, wanted a piece of the new American El Dorado.
It was between October and April of each year that Florida’s railroad companies made their real money. But in the spring of 1925, the normal lull did not occur. People from every section of the United States began to pour into Florida as never before, further increasing the demand for new accommodations, homes, and every kind of public utility. This prompted Florida’s merchants and contractors to order inventory far in excess of actual requirements. Train loads of materials and supplies were often shipped to the Empire in the Sun
with no specific destination, changing hands many times while en route, and frequently reaching a locale where no service tracks or warehouse facilities existed. The result? Thousands of freight cars became stranded, occupying every available track, tying up rail yards, and choking the movement of traffic. To relieve the congestion, the Big Three
railroads (Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and Florida East Coast) called for a statewide embargo that took effect on October 29, 1925. Traffic was halted except for shipments of foodstuffs, fuel, and a few essential commodities. When the embargo was called, nearly 4,000 freight cars were jammed at the Jacksonville yards (the nerve center of the state), and another 10,000 were ordered to be held at various points between Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, St. Louis, and New Orleans. Traffic experts from around the country were rushed in to untangle the mess, but it was not until May of the following year that order was restored. By then, though, the Boom had ended.
More than one developer made their reputation during the Boom era. George Merrick conceived the model suburb of