Henry Flagler's Gilded Age Mansion: The Story of Florida's Transformation
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- čas přidán 11. 02. 2023
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Step back in time and witness the incredible transformation of Florida from a swampy wilderness to a booming tourist destination. Explore the magnificent Gilded Age Mansion of Henry Flagler, the man who single-handedly shaped an entire state. From his humble beginnings working for his uncle to becoming one of the wealthiest men in the world, Flagler's story is one of determination, vision, and success. Get a rare glimpse into the life of the Standard Oil co-founder and see how he brought luxury and comfort to the Florida wilderness through his hotels and railways.
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It is a grand house, but having your wife declared insane in order to facilitate marrying your mistress, is pretty despicable. Of course, I doubt many members of Gilded Age 'society' were known for being particularly nice. Thanks for another interesting video. :)
@Curious World My thoughts exactly! They became ridiculously wealthy on the backs of the less fortunate and seemed to have little or no heart for others. Money, power, and station were the only concern for the majority of them. As I was watching this, as he advanced in prosperity, and saw the front of the mansion, I truly thought prior to knowing, I hope Flagler fell down his marble stairs.
I would have liked to hear a few words on why she was "insane." It must be hard to separate "insane" from "eccentric" when talking about people who could afford to be "a little out there. " It sounded like a lot of people considered Flagler himself as insane for doing what he was doing. Of course, now he seems more like a visionary.
If you Google Flagler’s second wife, Ida Alice Flagler, there is a description of her fascination with spiritualism, becoming obsessed with contacting the other side, and believed that she had to kill Henry in order to marry Nicholas II of Russia.
She was originally known as Flagler's bitch (as she wanted to kill him) but history was kind and instead called an area Flagler's Beach so she wouldn't be forgotten and to make the memory of her more pleasant.
It was not unusual to declare your wife or daughter insane back in the day. It happened more frequently in England .
This is definitely a “Must See” when visiting the Palm Beach area. It’s exquisitely maintained, and well funded. It’s amazing how much original furniture and historical fabric survived its “hotel” era. Visiting is like stepping back in time.
It is refreshing to see so many Architectural marvels of the past (especially ones like this that are historically significant) being renovated rather than demolished. Think of how much our heirs can learn from taking steps back in time to see how their ancestors did it. The whole history of Florida may have changed had it not been for the visons of Mr. Flagler and simply touring his mansion opens the door for that conversation. Amazing how much knowledge can be had by simply preserving the past.
Definitely on bucket list. ❤
The Kodiak house is nicer. I'm from palm beach and haven't been in a few years but I really liked the Eastman Kodiak house much better. He also didn't lock his wife away to marry his mistress 🤣.
What a wonderful lady Jean Matthews proved to be! Her vile mother couldn't care less, but Jean was determined to save her grandfather's magnificent mansion. I wish there had been more people like her.
I was thinking something similar. Sometimes awesomeness skips a generation. It definitely happened in my family.
I love when a beautiful gilded-age mansion comes with a great story AND today still stands, restored to its former glory. Thanks, Ken, for all the time I know it took to put this gem of a video together.
Amid this splendor of the eye, and amazing development of Florida itself, Mr. Flagler’s ruthless willingness to successfully have law changed so he could legally dispose of and warehouse his second wife gives one pause. What did he cause to have done that is Not available to public knowledge? Beneath this great beauty is much ugliness.
I don't know if this is true but I read or heard somewhere that the location of the mansion was originally a shanytown and that Henry Flagler invited the residents, free of charge, to a circus he had brought to town. While the shanytown residents were at the circus, Henry Flagler had their homes burned down so the people would go away and he could have the land for the house. I hope this isn't true.
@@andrewbrendan1579 Thanks, I’d not heard that one (I live in the next county south of PB). I just looked up ‘flagler, shantytown residents’ and found one article from a St. Augustine paper from 20212. If true, it wouldn’t be the first time fire was a tool of urban renewal.
You have developed one of the best history channels on CZcams. It is always amazing to learn about the people who shaped America told through the houses they loved. Thank you for keeping history alive!
I’ve fortunately visited Whitehall twice and plan to return. The home and museum are stunning. The gentleman’s smoking/billiard room (not featured in this review) across the hall from the ballroom is my favorite room. The entrance hall and staircases are stunning. His personal railroad car which is located on the lawn to the SW of the home and is part of the museum is not to be missed. In the French Salon you can find one of the many thermostats, located beside a doorway, for the central heating system which was quite the luxury for it’s time. The bedrooms with en-suite baths are also quite the luxury given the time period. The furnishings and art collection are superb. I highly recommend visiting Whitehall when in SE Florida.
I absolutely agree, the gentleman's smoking/billiard room is the best! And do you recall the room where the lady of the house entertained her female visitors? There was a portrait of her wearing her extremely long pearl necklace. The longer the pearls, the richer the woman!
There is a Mary Flagler Carey arboretum in Millbrook NY
I grew up in Palm Beach area, and my mother was a docent at the Flagler museum for many years. Brings back a lot of memories.
Kudos to his granddaughter who had the gumption to save this property from developers ! This house has been on my radar to visit for some time. Thank you for this video, Ken. Well done!
So happy this structure still exists!
I had the privilege to visit here several years ago and it is definitely well worth the visit. One of my favorite parts of the tour was the recently built pavilion, in the same Beaux Arts style as the house, to showcase Flagler's private railcar.
I grew up near the Flagler Museum and visited often. The place is so large to walk through one could get tired walking and climbing stairs. I remember there was a different dining room for each meal served. Sometimes I was privileged to attend classical concerts there. Thank you for the informative video. By the way, I can only imagine the mosquitoes that would have existed before mosquito abatement was common. Of course the insects bit the ruling class and the servants equally! I never realized that Flagler had his wife declared insane to marry his girlfriend. The souvenir brochure left that part out!
I believe she was not just his girlfriend but his sons fiancé
She actually was insane, believing she was engaged to Czar Nicholas II of Russia.
This is why I love, This House. The good, the bad and ugly is real history. Thank you for another amazing visit into history.
I too have visited the museum several times, it has been a number of years though since I last visited, I hope they still have the guided tours on the weekends, where they would give you a very nice, detailed history of Flagler, the house and South Florida. I am sure the volunteers who used to man the tours have all now passed, hoping that new volunteers took their places, however the level of devotion they had would be hard, if not impossible, to replace. Assuming they now may have one of those headphone style self-guided tours. Now to one of those pieces of history they imparted on the tours: Julia Tuttle sent a letter by barefoot mail to Flagler along with a sample of oranges showing that the freeze did not go all the way to Miami and if he would agree to continue his railroad South from where it ended at the time in West Palm Beach, she would give him half of all the property she owned in Miami, which he knew was dozens of acres right in the growing town of Miami. He brought the railroad South to Miami, and to honor her promise, she sent him the deeds to half of the property she owned. When he looked at the deeds, he saw that she had deeded every other lot to him, so it was not a whole piece of property and he had to deal with her to buy the other lots, Yet, she had done as she promised. One last note, the house cost Flagler around 4 million dollars to build in 1902. The marble foyer is 40x60 feet, just for scale.
Toured the house as a kid in the mid-sixties. We studied Flagler’s Folly in 4th grade as part of Florida State history. Love the entrance and never forgot that Flagler slipped on the marble stairs, hitting his head and leading to his death not long after. Toured many historic houses over the years but that tragic tumble stuck in my mind!
It is a memorable story. I always thought the stairs he slipped on were the main staircase pictured here but it wasn't. He had a hidden exit from the ballroom that led to his bedroom and it was that hidden staircase where his accident occurred.
The doors and windows are lovely. I wonder if the courtyard was less stark and maybe used for entertaining when the house was a home.
The ballroom is my favorite. Thank you for taking us through to the restoration of the house.
I have toured this house couple times and it is one of the most bright, cheerful, and beautifully styled gilded age dimensions I’ve ever visited. Interestingly, one of the last shots shown in this episode is from a drone looking across the Flagler property from the water. In the distance is a large building which has its own very unique story as it is one of Henry Flagler‘s hotels. Maybe can you can do my future episode on that! So many great unique homes in Florida all now threatened with global warming and rising sea levels. Enjoy them now while you can because they may not be around much longer.
This year a huge chunk of ice in Antarctica broke off and drifted out to sea. The ice at the North Pole is melting more as well. Most people don't realize the disaster that is coming in the next few years.
Whitehall is a beautiful house. It is fascinating that it only took 18 months to build the mansion. I've visited the house many times.
This House is appealing, reminds me of Newport.
I’ve visited this mansion several times. I live somewhat nearby. It’s truly magnificent. One of the finest homes I’ve ever seen. I stumbled across your channel while wanting to learn more about Mr. Flagler. I think I found a gem. Your channel is truly great. I enjoy learning about the homes and who inhabited/built them. Thank you for creating these.
Engaging backstory. Academic in quality. Bravo. Incredibly imposing edifice and yet sunny and cheerful. Not morose and serious like many Victorian mansions. Huge proportions engulf the French decor and furnishings. I still adore it. What an ideal place for an entire summer. No hurricane could overwhelm this barricade. Another amazing video for a wonderful channel.
It was never meant to be used in the summer. Flagler used it two months only each year in the winter. The central heating was installed to preserved the house from humidity-- in the summer when no one was there.
Great video. My high school had our 1972, 1973, & 1974 proms at the Flagler Museum Mansion in Palm Beach. It was pretty awesome. 🤩🤩
I visited St. Augustine many times when I lived in FL. It’s a gorgeous town with a lot of history. Before Flagler created the railroad that reached Miami, Jacksonville and other NE FL towns had been the tourist meccas. After Flagler, the tourism bypassed NE FL.
Excellent video of one of the most magnificent houses that I have ever seen. What you don't get from just seeing photos of the exterior is the truly massive scale of this mansion. Going to the front door, you are dwarfed by those enormous urns. The 4,400 sq ft main hall (largest room in the house) is big enough to fit a full 3 bedroom ranch completely surrounded by lawn (per the tour guide). He really wasn't luring people away from Newport as that was a summer colony and Florida became the winter playground of the wealthy. On the second floor there is a table inside a plexiglass box because on it is the tea set Flagler gave Mary Lily: the tray is gilded sterling but the actual pieces are all gold. The bulk of his fortune went to Mary Lily, and a small piece of it was the basis of the fortune of the Bingham's of Louisville (newspapers and tv) after she married Judge Robert Worth Bingham (later Ambassador to the Court of St. James).
My Dad bought a house in Ocean Ridge, across from the old Schwab mansion (seaside). Apparently it was a country club from the early 1900's. Dad's house was the old dining hall, with additions, bought in the late 60's. Dad sold the place around 2009, and moved to his house on Hilton Head. I took down the old wrought iron hanging light fixture, which we discovered was worth enough to a lady, that she would also buy much of the furniture, etc. When he refused to sell the lamp, she walked. I now own that fixture. We figured it was of an old Flagler style, but whatever it is, it's going to hang in the house I'm building.
Flagler is a fascinating character, and love him or hate him, you cannot discuss FL development from Jacksonville to the Keys without him. Long after his death, his achievements lingered (though the Labor Day hurricane did a pretty good number on one of them - see Last Train to Paradise), though Whitehall is the greatest building (home or hotel) among them - though the students of Flagler college might disagree; see that if you are in St. Augustine. Fabulously decorated, with docent led or a great audio tour option and the ability to wander freely over two floors, the house is a treat. Not cheap, but worth it. Plus his private railroad car, and if you walk a bit down a private alley and across the road - you can also stroll through The Breakers (there are or were select combo tours, limited times - never took one b/c years ago I stayed @ The Breakers and so already had a general knowledge). Check out the wall trim in Louis XV parlor - what do you think it is?
The Labor Day hurricane destroyed my house (Adams Hill Plantation) in Savannah as well. Originally built in the early 1800's it was heavily damaged, according to forklore, during the Civil War. Rebuilt after war it was heavily damaged again by the '35 hurricane. Rebuilt again in '37. The same family (Adams) owned it from the 1800's to the early 70s. Before moving to Savannah spent 10 years in PB County and saw the Flagler mansion often as biking on the adjacent paths along the intracoastal was a favorite pastime.
Wow ,so good to see it ,it looks as if it is built yesterday
Ken, the very best part of my day is when I get to watch your videos.
Fascinating tower of a man…Thanks to Jean Matthews for having the vision to preserve and rebuild the mansion for posterity. As long as Florida exists, we owe it to maintain this complex. Rebuilding the rail line should also be done so that Brightline or Amtrak stop at Key West.
Sadly, the rail line is not feasible with our yearly hurricane threat and rising waterlines during storms. It's been tried before, but sooner or later a storm rolls through and wipes it out.
One of the architecture wonders, wow! 👌
St Augustine is my fav and went there many times--
❤❤❤ I just got the paper for the museum, the flag lamb museum and I’m definitely going to go now that I’m learning about the history of him. It’s great because I live in Palm Beach and it’s great to learn about history.
Saint Augustine has many structures developed by Henry Flagler, love Saint Augustine!
Those ceilings are beautiful.
Great story.
My great-grand aunt worked in this house and our proms were held here in the 70’s. The house is beautiful but the owner was not trustworthy. Ask about the ‘Stixx’.
Very interesting and insightful. Thank you for sharing.
Ken, there are no Crocodiles in NA save for the ones brought in to zoo’s.
Love the videos nonetheless
kudos to jean!
Thanks for doing this on Henry Flagler. What happened to the second Mrs. Flagler once he dumped her?
It's absolutely a lovely story. Thank you.❤❤❤
I personally will never step foot in that state again 😃
What a wonderful expose of America. Amazing cast of characters
All the pianos!!!
Thanks for a great house review.
Was wonderful! First time I´ve watched one of your videos. Great, particularly, is the historical background you provided. Truly superb. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video! I have been looking forward to it! I really appreciate your coverage of Mr. Flagler's personal background and his considerable influence in the development of modern Florida. The Florida East Coast Railway still exists. But his mansion, Whitehall, is one of the most beautiful homes of that era in the U. S. My favorite rooms are the French Salon and Ballroom. Just absolutely gorgeous decor! I hope your video gets lots of views, as I think this interesting man, and his incredible mansion, needs more recognition outside of Florida.
You probably know this, but for those who don't the French Salon was gilded not with gold but with aluminum, which was extremely expensive until the Hall ore extraction process was invented.
Finally, a happy ending!
I love the yellow master bedroom!! The music room, I believe is also one of my favorite rooms there.
What an absolutely gorgeous mansion both inside and out. Truly breathtaking. Just love the beautiful grandeur and furnishings. It is so wonderful his granddaughter got this beautiful home under her control and knocked down the hotel in order to restore the original mansion to its exquisite beauty. Thank goodness . This is exceptionally gorgeous mansion. Very well researched and presented Ken !! Bravo👌😊💐🇨🇦🇨🇦💯
Great video!!! This opulent mansion is breathtaking & the fact that it stands today is icing on the cake!!!
Amazing
More like a hotel in scale, than a house. Oh, I see it became a hotel. Apt.
Been there quite lovely.
I liked the ballroom the best. What a life he had.
I can’t imagine living in FL pre- air conditioning!
I am a sucker for a grand ballroom.❤
If you visit Henry Flagler's home, go out back to see the Iguanas who make their home outback.
I visited that old house in Georgetown.
I have picked up some ideas to refurnish my nine squared meters home.
Pave paradise, put up a parking lot.
If you look hard enough, there's a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot...
🎼🎹🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎹🎹🎹🎼🎹🎼🎹🎼
Just found your channel yesterday. Very interesting and well done! Have you heard of Font Hill Castle in Pennsylvania? You might want to take a look 😊
Another surviving homage to the Gilded Age! Ken, I hope you find time to venture to the other coast of Florida and review Ca' D'Zan, aka the John & Mabel Ringling Mansion in Sarasota. Restored and open to the public.
That would be great! They did an Antiques Roadshow series from there.
I've been to Ca'DZan several times...the art museum along with the circus museum are also on the grounds...very nice!
Had the law changed, had her declared insane. Huh.
All these mental asylums were closed down changing to psychiatric department in hospitals.
Quite a house. Rather ruthless in his success, wasn’t he?
Beautiful Flagler home. Where is the home so my husband & I can tour? We live in Pensacola, Florida.
What happened to Ida?
THERE ARE MANY BEAUTIFUL SITES TO SEE IN SAINT AUGUSTINE FLORIDA ❣️❣️❣️
Beaux Arts houses are very beautiful, unlike Victorian houses, which are very ugly. I've visited White Hall, and it's magnificent.
Mr. Florida
Beautiful home but Flagler was a jerk to have his second wife declared insane.
Well, the house got the better of him in the end.
favorite room = the Grand Ballroom, of course!
he was a newspaper owner in chicago!
The love of money does crazy things to people. No doubt Ida was such a person.
You missed the tea pavilion. So lovely
it's not part of the original house. It's not that old.
Do a video on the Lauder Greenway estate.
Was there no piano in the Music Room?!
Instead of a divorce he has his wife declared insane? WTF? IMO it's poetic justice for him to meet his demise falling down that marble staircase...ha-ha
Been there many times. That grand hall? Is 3 or 4 thousand square feet.
America's 60 families (1937) and it's sequel 'the rich and the super-rich' (1968). Patient one page at a time. Maybe only one page a day. These two books by Mr. Ferdinand Lundberg and his other 8 books will gain you a filter through which all your past present and future social experience may be sifted. The conditions of the masses. The conditions of the very wealthy. These books are truth wit and genius. Fresno, California. Sjm '74. Go panthers! Amen.
Mary Flagler contracted tuberculosis and passed away in New York City in 1881 at age 47..
what about st Augustine? --oldest city in the USA. Next to Jacksonville-- Flagler college is there as well
St.Augustine was the national headquarters of the KKK in 60's and before. Blacks were banned from the downtown up through the 70's unless they worked there. Of course Lincolnville was the first free Negro neighborhood in St. Augustine. It's basically all White now and the prices are ubsurd. I couldn't sell my house for 5 years because it was a Crack neighborhood until around 1993. I lost $40K on my home. Had to give it away, finance it to some kids and they made $140,000 profit on it. Thanks Crackheads and Crack whores.
How funny I was reading about this house on wiki yesterday whilst in a random Wikipedia hole about Miami
😊
I'm assuming Flagler county is named after him?
What a narrator! Henry pulled a King Henry move on his second wife, and you made it sound romantic.
Ken, I don't know if this is true, but maybe you or a viewer can confirm or contradict this: I read or heard that before Whitehall was built there was a shantytown on the site and that Henry Flagler brought in a circus had the shantytown residents there free of charge. While the resdients were at the circus Henry Flagler had their homes burned down. Since the people of the shantytown had no homes there was no reason for them to stay so Henry Flager could now go ahead with bulding the mansion on the site.
That's a fabricated tale blown out of proportions to sell a book. You speak of the Styx, and there is no record in history that says it was burnt to the ground.
The residents were told to leave as the town served as a workday home for all the rail and resort workers who lived there during the work week. It was basically a collection of tents and fire places with no running water, sewage, or city services. No different than a homeless encampment. As Palm Beach continued to develop, the eye sore had to go, and so the residents were asked to leave. It didn't happen over night either. It was a systematic process. Most of the residents who "used" the town had proper housing elsewhere, where their families resided.
My favorite room was the marble stairway that put an end to Flagler. Ironic that his excesses are what did him in.
I’m just curious? in the late 1800s, or whatever ~1870, the trans-continental railroad was completed.
(and it wasn’t financed by a single private person)
I assume the US government or a private company financed it.
-
& then 30 years later, why did it take a single individual (Henry Flagler) to first put a railroad from Jacksonville to Key West?Why didn’t the state of Florida have an interests in building a railroad down the east coast?
It says the residents of the town wanted to name it after Flagler, but he insisted they called name it after the Miami River. 5:48 so, what was the name of the town while he & the residents were currently living there. (Before they baked it)
How do they get mail? and what do they put for their address before hand?
I assume he lives in the apartments or something
When when those apartments were built, what was their address?
(Before it was named Miami?
was I just called “no-name”, Florida?
Flager did not fall on the marble steps of the main staircase but rather on a short flight of stairs going to a powder room under the main staircase....
Is this house for sale?
Mary Lilly survived Henry.
What about the baths?
The ballroom
Wrong county to get in trouble in. You are not welcome. Hope it may be better. Just behave everywhere .💜👍🏽
Been To The Mansion & Took Many People To Run That House. What He Accomplished In Florida🌴 🍊🍋& To Key West🌴🌺🌴🛤🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃He Did With His Heart❤🔥& Cock🍌Driving Force In His Life. Great Short Documentary🎥🎞On His Life. One Thing The Very Rich💵💰💵Live By Is This, They Never Stop🛑At What They Want To Do In Life & Why So Many Kept On Going In What Ever They Were Doing. Many Mansions⛪🏫In America🦅Were Started & Almost Completed & Some Were Totally Completed & The Owner Would Pass🌹🪦🌹Away🌠🌌. Word To The Wise, "🗣Never, Ever Use Marble On Any Floors Where You Live Or Go To In Life. They Will Cause You Great Injury💥😱🚑🏥🛏📋✍👨⚕Or Death💀🚐⚰In Life😭.
The mansion is magnificent; however I was mortified at his personal life. This was not a good man; despite his contributions to art and the settlement of Southern Florida.
This country is full of rich men like him. It is said it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the gates of Heaven. I believe it.
Florida was never a swamp. Poor choice of words. Marsh land, Everglades, and rivers lakes and streams.