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In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon discovered the land that became the state of Florida. In 1804, Samuel Williams received a land grant from the Spanish crown for 3,000 acres that make up a large part of what became Daytona Beach. Using slave labor, Williams built a sugar mill and grew sugar cane, rice and cotton on the land. After Williams died his son took over the planation, but it was destroyed in 1836 during the Second Seminole War. Part of the land Williams had controlled was also used before the Civil War as a logging camp operated by brothers from Massachusetts. Daytona Beach's first mayor was the Rev. L.D. Huston, a Methodist-Episcopal minister. He was elected in July 1876. Huston also served as a county commissioner, justice of the peace and superintendent of public instruction in Volusia County.

Daytona Fire Dept: 1913 LaFrance firetruck: News Journal File photo
Daytona Beach is historically known for its beach, where motorized vehicles are permitted on some hard-packed sand beaches. Daytona's wide beach of smooth, compacted sand attracted automobile and motorcycle races beginning in 1902, as pioneers in the industry tested their inventions. It hosted land speed record attempts beginning in 1904, when William K. Vanderbilt set an unofficial record of 92.307 mph (148.554 km/h). Land speed racers from Barney Oldfield to Henry Segrave to Malcolm Campbell would visit Daytona repeatedly and make the 23 mi (37 km) beach course famous. Record attempts, including numerous fatal endeavors such as Frank Lockhart (Stutz Black Hawk, 1928) and Lee Bible (Triplex Special, 1929), would continue until Campbell's March 7, 1935 effort, which set the record at 276.816 mph (445.492 km/h) and marked the end of Daytona's land speed racing days. On March 8, 1936, the first stock car race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course, located in the present-day Town of Ponce Inlet. In 1958, William France Sr. and NASCAR created the Daytona International Speedway to replace the beach course. Automobiles are still permitted on most areas of the beach, at a maximum speed of 10 mph (16 km/h).

Daytona Beach Road Course
Panoramic view of cars at starting point in 1922 Bill Lindley is first car
1910 Daytona Beach, Florida South Ridgewood Avenue
Lilian Place Heritage Center


1960s Daytona Beach
Daytona Breakers Hotel

Daytona Sea Dip

Daytona Diplomat

The beginning of one of the remaining old brick roads that went from DeLand to Daytona. This road was constructed approximately in 1917 and was realigned around 1944.
ChazzCreations
PO BOX 1909
POST FALLS, ID 83877