Page "Jacksonville, Florida" Paragraph 8

During Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, Jacksonville and nearby St. Augustine became popular winter resorts for the rich and famous.

Visitors arrived by steamboat and later by railroad.

President Grover Cleveland attended the Sub-Tropical Exposition in the city on February 22, 1888 during his trip to Florida.

This highlighted the visibility of the state as a worthy place for tourism.

The city's tourism, however, was dealt major blows in the late 19th century by yellow fever outbreaks.

In addition, extension of the Florida East Coast Railway further south drew visitors to other areas.

From 1893 to 1938 Jacksonville was the site of the Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home with a nearby cemetery.