From the St. Augustine Record: Hotel Ponce de Leon sparked city's tourism
Henry Flagler left home at 14 years old so as not to be a burden on his family.
But in 1870, he and John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil Co. together, a business decision that made both of them fabulously wealthy.
The story of how Flagler conceived and built the Hotel Ponce de Leon is one that clearly illustrates his will, vision and business sense, though people thought him crazy for building a Spanish palace in the swamps of Lake Maria Sanchez.