[FHStoday] TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY FOR AUGUST 23

[Nick Wynne]

TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
AUGUST 23
1822            The City of Pensacola was incorporated by the Territorial 
government of Florida.

1844            Hamilton Disston, financier, was born this day.  Disston, 
whose purchase of 6,250 square miles (4,000,000 acres) of public land for 
$1 million, prevented the state of Florida from having to declare 
bankruptcy in 1881.  The entrepreneur tried to drain the "swamps and 
overflowed lands" he had purchased and made remarkable progress until he 
was caught short of cash in the Panic of '93.  Depressed, Disston committed 
suicide that year.  [For more information of the Disston Land Purchase, see 
T. Frederick Davis, "The Disston Land Purchase," Florida Historical 
Quarterly, Volume 17, Number 3 (January 1939), pp. 200-210.

NOTE:  Dr. Joe Knetsch, a noted Florida historian, has accumulated much 
newer research on Disston.  The latest information is at odds with the 
traditional treatment of Disston.  Knowing how thorough Dr. Knetsch is in 
his research and how much intellectual effort he puts into his various 
research projects, we thought our subscribers would enjoy this new 
information.  We encourage more of this kind of re-visiting of Florida 
history and the development of new interpretations.--Nick Wynne

"Disston did not commit suicide as has been poorly reported
in the past. (See my article in the 1999 Sunland Tribune). Since that piece
came out, I have found many obits on this story. In sum, all concur that he
died of a stroke (he had a history of heart problems). He had taken a play
with his wife and then dinner with the Mayor of Philadelphia on the night
before his immediate death. He was found in a separate bedroom, not feeling
well and stated he did not wish to disturb his wife. The servant tried the
door in the morning (at 8:00 a.m.) and found it locked. Disston's private
secretary (a male) and his wife broke in the door and found him lying in bed,
gone on to his reward."
"As to the million dollar note - whatever has been written so far is hogwash!
The note was not foreclosed upon until April of 1900, four years after his
death. It was for two million dollars and the Disston Land Company was the
holder, not Hamilton personally. This explains why his will read that his
family could not inherit the Florida holdings - he didn't have personal
title. The Land Company partners included the most wealthy men in
Philadelphia and New York who would have scoffed at a meagre two million
dollar note, which any one of them could have paid off with petty cash. I am
not convinced from my reading of all the land documents here that Disston
lost all of the money many have speculated upon. His rent for the rice lands
alone was ten dollars per acre, and that covered 1,500 acres south of St.
Cloud."

1851            A tropical storm with high winds severely damaged the tin 
roof of the capitol building in Tallahassee.

1992            Hurricane Andrew reached classification as a Category 4 
hurricane today.  Located about 300 miles east of Miami in the early 
morning hours, the hurricane continued to build in intensity.  By 2:00 
p.m., winds reached 150 mph.  Hurricane warnings/watches were posted along 
Florida's east coast from Key West to Jacksonville and as far north as Ft. 
Myers on the west coast.  Weather experts predicted that the hurricane 
would come ashore near Miami early on August 24.