St. Augustine has often been referred to as “horse heaven”. The ideal climate, level terrain, and the pace of life are many of the city’s traits that attribute to this saying. St. Augustine is a place where time has stood still for over 400 years. Visitors to the nation’s oldest city, therefore, expect to see the horses and carriages plying the brick streets of this quaint, sleepy town. St. Augustine is unspoiled by the heavy traffic, crisscrossing freeways and turbulence of today’s modern cities. The carriage industry is a constant reminder of a time long gone by.
The Colee family established the St. Augustine Transfer Company in 1877 and was able to impress Henry Flagler, the railroad magnate, with their services. Upon arriving in St. Augustine, Flagler toured the city with the St. Augustine Transfer Company and decided to develop this area as “America’s Riviera”. Henry Flagler was instrumental in expanding and developing the St. Augustine Transfer Company. When Flagler opened the Ponce de Leon hotel in 1888, the Transfer Company was franchised exclusively to transport guests and their luggage from the railroad station to the luxurious Flagler hotels as well as on sightseeing tours of St. Augustine. With over 100 Landaus, Surreys, Cabriolets & Wagons as well as over 70 employees, the St. Augustine Transfer Company became known as “the best livery this side of Washington, D.C.”.
