#julia tuttle

“She was an American businesswoman who owned the property upon which Miami, Florida, was built. For this reason, she's called the "Mother of Miami." She's the only woman to have founded what would become a major American city.”

"This may seem far-fetched to you, but as surely as the sun rises and sets, all of this [Miami] will come true." - Julia Tuttle

“Honey, you should warn people before you stick your camera into people’s faces...” Julia  said to her husband, Locke, who was taking pictures of the guests on his camera. 

“Oh, right, yes dear.” Locke replied. He lowered his camera and put his arm around his wife. 

“Hello and Welcome!” Brian said. 

“Hi! I’m Julia Tuttle, and this is Locke Tuttle. He’s been hired as the wedding photographer and videographer. He’s excellent, really, he just has issues with social cues. He doesn’t mind getting all up in people’s business, but some people do mind. That’s what i’m here for. Plus, we’re family friends of Angela and Harrison. 

“Excellent! It’s good to see you. I think the wedding is ready to start now, let’s make our way to the wedding ceremony altar.” Brian said, gesturing towards the veranda.

By Joanna Grey Talbot

The “Mother of Miami” was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1848. Considered to be the only woman to found a major American City, Julia Tuttle was the daughter of Ephraim Sturtevant, a college professor. He moved to the Biscayne Bay area in 1870 to improve his health with a warmer climate. Raising fruits and flowers, he was eventually elected to the Florida State Senate for four years. In 1880 he moved back to Cleveland to be near his only surviving child, Julia, and passed away in 1881. Julia inherited his land in Florida.

Julia Tuttle, image courtesy of the State Library & Archives of Florida

She married Frederick Tuttle in 1867 and in 1875 they traveled to south Florida to visit her parents and view their 40-acre orange grove. Her husband died a few years later and leaving her an iron foundry and many debts she opened their home as a boarding house. Therefore, when her father passed and she received her land inheritance she couldn’t pass up the chance to try somewhere new.

After moving to the shores of Biscayne Bay, Tuttle used her inheritance from her parents and the sale of the iron foundry to buy the James Egan grant of 640 acres on the north side of the river. She restored and moved into the former Fort Dallas buildings. The fort had been built in 1836 as a military post during the Seminole Wars and was used through the Civil War. In 1891 she brought her family from Cleveland to live with her.

Fort Dallas in 1900, image courtesy of the State Library & Archives of Florida

Tuttle knew that the area had great potential for a city but knew it would never flourish without access to the railroad. She launched a letter writing campaign to Henry Plant and Henry Flagler to extend their railroad lines. Plant’s company looked into it but decided it was impractical. Flagler wasn’t convinced either, even after Tuttle paid him a visit in St. Augustine and offered him a sizable section of her land as a part of the deal.

Money spoke the loudest, though, because after the freeze of 1894-1895, which devastated citrus groves in central and north Florida, Tuttle sent Flagler a box of orange blossoms, showing that Biscayne Bay was below the frost line. Not happy to see his fruit shipping business dwindling, he finally agreed to Tuttle’s proposal. In exchange for large sections of land from Tuttle and Mary & William Brickell, the other major landowners in the area, Flagler extended his railroad from Palm Beach to Biscayne Bay. He also agreed to build a hotel and lay the foundations of the city on either side of the river.

The first train arrived on April 13, 1896 and within a month the town had its first newspaper and bank. On July 28 the town was officially incorporated as Miami. In January 1897 Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel was opened and became a favorite destination for the Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, and Carnegie families.

The first passenger train arriving in Miami in 1896, image courtesy of the State Library & Archives of Florida

The Royal Palm Hotel in 1899, image courtesy of the State Library & Archives of Florida (Seriously damaged by the 1926 hurricane, it was condemned and torn down in 1930.)

Tuttle died two years later at the age of 49. She is buried in the City of Miami Cemetery. She left behind many debts so her children had to sell off the rest of her land. As a result, she remained relatively unknown until her name was given to a causeway over Interstate 195. In 2010 a statue of Tuttle was unveiled in Bayfront Park. Created by sculptor Rob Firmin, “she is at the very moment of ensuring the foundation of the city by offering Henry Flagler proof that orange blossoms grow here and were not destroyed by the freezes. She is looking to the future.”

Sources: Campbell, Janie. “Julia Tuttle, The ‘Mother of Miami,’ Was One Awesome Lady.” The Huffington Post, 5/12/2013.