More About Naples Florida History

By Jony Mozen


Naples history is relatively short but interesting. This lovely town was founded in the late 1880s, by John Stuart Williams and Walter N. Haldeman. You will find more about Naples Florida history if you visit one of beautiful museums built here, and there you will be able to see numerous photographs and other documents saved from this period. Here are some historic facts Naples Florida archives still save, and you might find interesting.

This all area was once inhabited by the Caloosa Indians. The first settlers, Roger Gordon and Joe Wiggins, came here in the late 1860s. The whole area was mainly swampland, but there were some people who believed that it can become prosperous. Some even considered this bay more beautiful than the one in Naples, Italy, and that's how the town got its name.

John S. Williams was Senator, but also the former general from American Civil War. Walter N. Haldeman was a successful businessman and publisher. They both agreed that this area had good chances to become great tourist destination. Their idea for designing the perfect little town soon became popular among wealthy people from Kentucky and Ohio.

Thanks to these two visionaries, six hundred feet long T-shaped pier was built, and that was the beginning of tourism in this area. Wealthy tourists started to come. For the next thirty years or so, only a few families used this area as their winter resort. The problem was in very poor roads leading there, as well as in the fact that there was no railway.

In 1911, Barron Collier bought over one million acres of swampland in the area, and this includes most of today's town. Collier has invested his money to build Tamiami Trail, the paved highway between Tampa and Miami. He believed that this area could experience a real boom in development. His dream really became true.

A few years after that, in January 7, 1927, the first train, Orange Blossom Special, finally came. Every single day, at noon sharp, the whistle was blown. It is still blown today, although there are no trains here any more. The last one left in 1971. The Depot is completely restored, and today it is the home for many community organizations.

The first bank was established here in 1949, on Fifth Avenue. The first library was opened in 1932. In 1945 there were only seventeen telephones in the city. Numerous celebrities were seen here during these years, including Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper, for example. Thomas Edison also spent some time here.

In 1932, famous Charles Lindbergh landed his plane here, accompanied by his wife, Ann, to get some supplies for their holidays. They were spending some time in this area. During the Second World War, hundreds of pilots were trained here for combat flying. After the war, the civil airport was established in 1953.

This rich, beautifully designed and pleasant town is one of the wealthiest towns in the entire state today. Fast growth and development, great climate, beautiful and interesting touristic destinations and overall prosperity make this town really appealing place to visit. This is a great place to live in, too.




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