Henry B Plant

    Henry B Plant

Henry B Plant built the Tampa Bay Hotel between 1888 to 1891, which cost over 3 million dollars.  Now it’s the foundation of the University of Tampa. The museum has several exhibits like exotic souvenirs, parlor suite, southern plant Empire, Spanish-American war and its Tampa connection, sports and Amusement, women, and their pastimes, among others. I choose to discuss one exhibit of the above. The essay will discuss the Spanish American war and its Tampa connection and why it got placed at Henry Plant Museum.

Henry travelled to Florida after his wife suffered with tuberculosis. Her doctor recommended them to spend the heat of Florida to relieve her condition. By then, Florida was swampy and forestry, but he had dreams that Florida would become a vacation spot for its pleasant weather. The civil war had destroyed many southern railway roads. He reconstructed the Florida railway that provided services across the states and connected Florida and the Northern part. He established a way to Tampa by linking the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. By then, Tampa was a small village of few people. By construction of this railway, it became a major hub of transportation in 1884. Tampa developed seven times in less than ten years. None of the tourists was interested in visiting Tampa; it became a significant worry of Plant. He decided to build something to make Tampa attractive for tourists.He built a stylish structure to entice tourists that made tourists pass St. Augustine and come to Tampa.

Before the American-Spanish war, Tampa was an undeveloped town with a population 0f 15000 people, most of them Cuban immigrants. The city had about seven public schools, twenty churches, cigar factories, and Henry Plant Bay Hotel. Tourists from the Northern region used to pass right from through Florida on the way to tropical Cuba. Nevertheless, Henry Plant saw an opportunity for Tampa little city. He realized that Tampa was in a critical position to be the staging ground for troops leaving for Cuba.

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Tampa Bay Hotel covered six acres and a quarter-mile long. It had 511 rooms, which had been made entirely of concrete and steel. They were the first room to have electricity and to be fireproof — contained telephones in every room, barbershop, telegram office, and dining room, among others. The surrounding hotel ground had fishing and hunting, a heated swimming pool tennis and golf course. He opened it, and it became the standard Hotel for leaders and celebrity that visited Tampa.

The Spanish-American War started in 1898; it was a conflict between Spain and the U.S. The war originated when Cuba was struggling for its independence from Spain in February 1895. On April 5, Spain announced a resolution and speeded up its program to grant Cuba powers. Later the United States announced an armistice that declared Cuba independence, and it demanded Spain to withdraw its armed forces from the island. Spain declared war on the U.S on April 24, and the U.S declared war on the 25^th.

During the summer of 1898, Tampa and the Tampa Bay Hotel played an essential role in the Spanish war. Henry convinced the war secretary to allow Tampa to be an official port for the troops going to Cuba. The city served as the primary stage area for the United States troops.  He also exchanged letters with the war secretary requesting the protection of Tampa. The plant railway transported troops and supplies from Florida and other places to Cuba. The Tampa Bay Hotel became the headquarter for the United States Army officers awaiting the order to embark.it provided lodging for the officers and news reporters. They had fun and enjoyed excellent food and dances. Tampa developed into a big city.

The U.S Army planned their war from the Hotel. Officers and dignitaries stayed in relative luxury and discussing war strategies. The ground troop sizzling in woolen uniform, food was spoiled by the intense heat as they lived in tents step up in Tampa streets. Some became very sick. Thirty thousand enlisted men camped around Tampa fought off mosquito and boredom stifling temperature, waiting for approval to leave for Cuba.

Lastly, the order departed. The military supplier’s troop and reporters on port Tampa anxious to get underway. On July 3, the team left Tampa for Cuba. By the time the war ended, the small town of Tampa had grown to a big city. Every soldier and equipment arrived on Henry Plant train, and many army officials had stayed for long in Tampa Bay Hotel .60000 soldiers spent thousands of money in a local business. This war developed the economy of Tampa.

Jose Martin, who was born in Cuba, was very active in the Cuban Revolution but was forced to leave Cuba for this activity. Later it was sent to Spain.Following the request of a few influential Cuban people headed to Tampa. Then he would make trips to Tampa and was able to gather men and materials to free his homeland.

The city of Tampa played an important role leading to the significant achievement of the United States toward the world state of power. This war was an essential point in history. The United States defeated Spain; this turned the nation’s attention away from it. The U.S victory emerged from the war a world power with a far-flung and new stake in international politics that would soon lead it to play a determining role in the affairs of Europe and the world. The United States received the Philips’s and Puerto Rico. Cuba gained its independence through the help of the United States the planned its war In Tampa