Near Hastings in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Florida’s Pioneer Spirit

America 250FL Road Trip

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, December 3, 2025

1. Florida’s Pioneer Spirit Marker

Inscription. Henry Flagler gained his fortune in the grain industry and then partnered with John D. Rockefeller to start Standard Oil. In the late 1800s Henry Flagler came to St. Augustine with his first wife to help with her ailing health. When Henry arrived, he saw great potential in the small town of St. Augustine. As such, he extended the railroad from Jacksonville to St. Augustine and started to build luxury hotels, the first of which was the Hotel Ponce de Leon, the playground for the rich and famous of the time.

As his development of the Florida East Coast Railway continued south to the Florida Keys, his legacy begins here in St. Augustine, where Hotel Ponce de Leon now serves as the gateway of Flagler College, the liberal arts institution bearing his name.

Erected 2025 by Florida Department of Transportation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1893.

Location. 29° 42.12′ N, 81° 19.619′ W. Marker is near Hastings, Florida, in St. Johns County. It can be reached

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from Interstate 95 3.9 miles north of Dixie Highway (U.S. 1), on the right when traveling north. The marker is located at the I-95 Northbound Rest Area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hastings FL 32145, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in First Coast

and in Greater Jacksonville.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Florida Honors and Remembers our POW’s and MIA’s (here, next to this marker); Florida’s Adventurous Spirit (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Florida Honors and Remembers our POW’s and MIA’s (approx. one mile away); Double Bridges and the Old King's Road 1772 (approx. 4.1 miles

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, December 3, 2025

2. Florida’s Pioneer Spirit Marker

away); Historical and Archaeological Sites (approx. 4.6 miles away); Colonial Road (approx. 4.6 miles away); The History of Hewitt Sawmill (approx. 4.6 miles away); Colonial Buildings (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hastings.

Also see . . . America 250 St. Augustine: Home. (Submitted on December 5, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Celebrating in the <br> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, December 3, 2025

3. Celebrating in the

Free State
of
Florida

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, December 3, 2025

4. Florida’s

Maritime and History Heritage

Credits. This page was last revised on December 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 57 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 5, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.