History of Beach Towns

In the early 1900s, visionary entrepreneur and developer Henry Flagler, the "Father of Florida," fulfilled his extraordinary goal to build an overseas railroad that connected Miami to Key West. That remarkable series of bridges linked the mainland to the Florida Keys -- it spanned 110 miles, and the crown jewel in this chain was the "Seven Mile Bridge" from Marathon Key to Duck Key. The rail bridges were converted to automotive bridges in the 1930s, and completely replaced by new structures in the 1970s and 80s. The original Seven Mile Bridge became a popular 2.2-mile recreational span on which joggers,...