Ormond Beach

When first settled, Ormond Beach was known as New Britain after the Connecticut home of its founders. In 1880, the name of the town was changed to honor a local plantation owner.

Two brothers began the successful development by building a house in which many rooms were rented out to travelers and possible settlers of the region. On New Years Day, 1888, the Ormond Hotel opened to the public. The hotel was built after the bridge across the Halifax River was complete. The hotel, designed by a fourteen year old, became the home away from home for many of societies rich and famous, including the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilt's and the Astor's. Writers and artists were drawn to the hotel for not only its comforts but also the surrounding scenery. As time passed, the railroad altered its tracks so that the rich could have a private platform at the hotel, instead of the train station. John D. Rockefeller, taken by the beauty of the area, purchased the land adjoining the Ormond Hotel and built an estate he called the Casements. Although the Casements has withstood several fires and numerous acts of vandalism over the years, today it stands as The Ormond Beach Community Enrichment Center. Nearby the Tomoka State Park can be found. The park offers camping, canoeing on the Halifax River along with the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.

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