Discover Florida's Surprising History You Never Knew About

The Sunshine State’s rags-to-riches story

Every year, visitors flock to Florida in their droves, all eager to experience the famous Walt Disney World Resort, glistening beaches, and unbelievable amusement parks for themselves. Yet the southern state hasn’t always been this way – in fact, a mere century ago it was a vastly different place. Click to reveal Florida's fascinating and tumultuous past…

1513: Florida was discovered and named by the Spanish

It’s hard to miss Florida’s Spanish heritage, with place names like St Augustine and Castillo de San Marcos being a giveaway. Explorer Juan Ponce de León discovered the coastline in April 1513, naming it La Pascua de la Florida, which means “Passion of the flowers.” But Europeans also brought a host of new diseases, which was devastating for Native Americans, who had lived on the land for years before. 

1763: Then the British took over…

The Spanish weren’t the only ones with their eyes on Florida. The British, who had fought with them over the land for hundreds of years, finally won in 1763 when Spain agreed to give them power over the state, in return for Cuba. But the trade-off wasn’t without plenty of bloody battles.

1700s-1800s: The state and the slave trade

Florida wasn’t exempt from the slave trade – in fact, it was one of the key players. Here, you can see a sketch of the Kingsley Plantation, which was named after slave trader Zephaniah Kingsley who operated a plantation there between 1814 and 1837.

1816-1858: Indigenous people fought back

Not happy being used as pawns by the Spanish and British, in the 19th century the Indigenous Seminole peoples fought back. There were three Seminole Wars: the first between 1816-1819, the second between 1835-1842, and the third between 1855-1858. Unfortunately, despite the bloodshed, most of the Seminoles were removed from their territory.

1861: Florida joined the confederacy before the Civil War

As a state whose population was half made up of enslaved people, president Abraham Lincoln’s proposed ban on slavery didn’t sit well with Florida’s governors, so they joined the Confederate States of America along with six other states.

1861-1865: The seaside was a very different place

Nowadays, Florida’s beautiful beaches attract sun-worshippers from across the world – but they were once busy for very different reasons. During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate armies populated the coastlines and waterways with steamboats in order to move supplies.

Late 1800s: Signs of tourism reared their head

After the Civil War, oil baron Henry Flagler began to sow the seeds of Florida’s now-burgeoning tourism industry. Having visited St Augustine with his wife, he invested by building the Ponce de León hotel, opened in 1888, which marked the beginning of many hotel and rail developments in the state.

1800s-1900s: Farming was the biggest industry

However, it would be some time before Florida became a well-established tourist resort. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, farming was the most important industry, with the hot climate making citrus, corn, sugar cane, and tobacco easy to grow.

Late 1800s: Tourists ‘snapped’ up new attractions

It might not be Florida’s most famous attraction, but the Everglades Alligator Farm is one of the oldest, having opened in 1893. Alligators were originally introduced to St Augustine beach to get visitors to see the museum, but the reptiles drew so much interest that they became the main event.

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Pre-20th century: Florida had swamps to rival Shrek

When you think of swamps, you probably imagine a murky, lifeless terrain – but Florida’s Everglades are a beautiful and diverse ecosystem, home to thousands of different species. Unfortunately, they’re now just half their original size, due to extensive draining during the 19th and 20th centuries in order to make space for new developments.

1912: All aboard the Key West express!

Today, Key West has earned a reputation as Florida’s sun-drenched, southernmost resort, but it wasn’t always the case. For centuries it was only accessible by water, until 1912, when businessman Henry Flagler built a railway reaching it from the mainland. In the picture, Flagler (circled) greets the hotly anticipated first train to Key West.

1918: The beaches looked very different in the First World War

No one was sunning themselves on Miami Beach in 1918, when the spot was a crucial air base for fighter planes. Many parts of Florida, which was still sparsely populated, were used for military training, development of technology, and growing of essential food crops. 

1926: A disastrous hurricane struck

Just after the First World War, Florida was experiencing a big land boom – yet its luck would soon run out. In 1926, the Miami hurricane hit the south coast, devastating the Greater Miami area along with the Bahamas and Gulf Coast, and costing an estimated $100 million in damages.

Late 1920s: Air travel took off

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a flying boat. Pan American Airways or ‘Pan Am’ brought these aircrafts to Florida in the late 1920s when it introduced a passenger and air mail service between Key West and Havana, Cuba. The move signaled a key development in the state’s tourism industry, although air travel would become more widespread in the 1950s and 1960s. 

1942: Jacksonville was a boat-building hub

During the Second World War, Florida’s coastline once again became of vital importance to the war effort. In this photograph, a ship called a Minesweeper is being built for the US Navy at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station – one of the state’s largest military installations.

1950s: Art Deco made its mark on Miami

Following the war, tourism in Florida exploded. New hotels sprang up left, right, and center, with Art Deco-style buildings like this becoming a recognizable feature of Miami’s seafront, many of them still surviving today. 

1950s-1960s: Glitz and glamour came to Miami

Not unlike today’s vacationers, tourists of the 1950s and 1960s craved the sun, sea, and sand that Florida’s resorts could offer. Many have pinpointed this time as Miami’s ‘Golden era,’ when visitor numbers rocketed and famous guests like William Randolph Hearst Jr, Joan Crawford, and Joe DiMaggio added to the glamorous appeal. 

1963: Walt Disney began exploring Florida

California’s Disneyland, having opened in 1955, had been a roaring success. But Walt Disney dreamed of opening a second resort and, after dismissing New Jersey, St Louis, and Palm Beach as possible locations, the vast swamplands of Orlando and Kissimmee caught his eye. Here, Walt Disney and several other company members inspect the land, which was purchased between 1963-1965. 

1965: He announced plans for Disney World

The company couldn’t keep it under wraps for long, so in 1965, Walt and co. scheduled a press conference. Announcing the plans to build Walt Disney World, Disney said it would “bring a new world of entertainment, pleasure, and economic development to the state of Florida” – words which still ring true today.

1966: Walt Disney passed away

Tragically, in December 1966, Walt Disney passed away due to lung cancer. Although he was never able to see Walt Disney World in its full glory, he knew that Disney had already become bigger than anyone had ever imagined – he’s quoted as saying “I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing: that it was all started by a mouse.”

1971: The Magic Kingdom opened its doors

In a moment that revolutionized Florida’s tourism industry, the gates to Walt Disney World were finally opened on October 1, 1971, bringing in 10,000 eager fans. Initially, the resort comprised six individually-themed lands: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Tomorrowland.

1970s: Walt Disney World kept growing

Just over a year later, business was booming, with park attendance reaching a massive 69,458 visitors on its busiest day. In 1973, several more attractions were introduced which included the Pirates of the Caribbean, Richard Irvine Steamboat, and Tom Sawyer Island. The park was going from strength to strength and it didn’t show any sign of slowing down.

1982: Epcot became Disney’s gateway to the future

One of Walt Disney World’s most hotly-anticipated attractions, Epcot, which is an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, finally opened in October 1982. The park is meant to showcase global innovations and was part of Walt Disney’s original plans for the resort.

1989: Hollywood Studios brought a slice of LA to Florida

Allowing visitors to step into the glamorous world of show business, MGM-Disney Studios, which has since been renamed Hollywood Studios, opened to the public in May 1989. Each of its six themed areas are inspired by real locations in LA and Hollywood, including Hollywood Boulevard, Grand Avenue, Echo Lake, and Sunset Boulevard.

1990s: The 'Disney Decade' heralded a new era of prosperity

In the 1990s, Walt Disney World continued its dizzying rise to success with an ambitious 10-year plan that was put forward by chairman Michael Eisner. The park expansions led to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Splash Mountain, a high-speed Test Track, Disney’s Wide World of Sports, and 10 new resorts – hence it’s often known as the ‘Disney Decade.’

Early 2000s: New hotels were built

The Noughties were a time for further incredible growth and new hotels including the Beach Club Villas, Pop Century Resort, and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa opened to accommodate more visitors. However, the decade wasn’t without problems, as the park had to close several times due to the terror attacks of 2001 and hurricanes in 2004.

2011-2014: Fantasyland had a magical makeover

As Disney World rolled in the money, it was pumped into renovations to make the park bigger, brighter, and more exciting. Between 2011 and 2014, Fantasyland was expanded to double its previous size, including an Enchanted Forest and many new attractions, including an Under the Sea ride, Beauty and the Beast meet-and-greet, and sections devoted to Disney princesses Aurora, Ariel, Belle and Cinderella.

Today: Walt Disney World’s popularity continues to grow

Bringing in visitors from all corners of the globe for its enchanting once-in-a-lifetime experiences, Walt Disney World has well and truly become a jewel in the crown of Florida’s tourism scene. It's estimated that one in eight people in Central Florida are employed in Disney-related jobs and the enterprise brings in a whopping $40.3 billion to the state each year.

Today: new attractions draw in visitors

Star Wars fans hotly anticipated the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the resort, which is one of its biggest lands of all. Opened in 2019, it includes: Planet Batuu (pictured), modeled on the remote world in the Star Wars movies; Millenium Falcon, a space flight simulator; and Rise of the Resistance, a Star Wars movie experience simulation.

Today: Brightline is completed

In 2023, Brightline completed a lengthy construction project to link Miami and Orlando by high-speed rail. The line sadly faced opposition from Indigenous people whose communities would be affected by the new lines, but the plans went ahead, with service commencing in September 2023. One thing is for sure: Florida’s days of farming and swampland are over.

The future: what's new for Florida in 2024?

Every year, Walt Disney World launches a flurry of new rides and attractions and 2024 is no different. Among them will be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (artist concept pictured), a redesign of the ever-popular Splash Mountain that's themed around The Princess and the Frog. A new nighttime fireworks, music, fountain, and light display, 'Luminous The Symphony of Us,' debuted in December 2023 and will continue to dazzle through 2024 too. 

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