The beach in Daytona Beach was the area's first airplane runway

Mark Lane, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·2 min read
Pilot Ruth Law and socialite Ellen Gouletin on a Wright Model B on the beach in 1914.
Pilot Ruth Law and socialite Ellen Gouletin on a Wright Model B on the beach in 1914.

The beach was the Daytona Beach area's first road, but less appreciated was that it was also the area's first airstrip.

The Clarendon Hotel in Seabreeze hosted aircraft rides since 1912 when Phillips Ward Page flew a 1912 Burgess-Wright Model F and arranged to build a hangar on the beach near the hotel.

Ruth Law became the first woman in Florida to pilot an airplane when she took off from the beach on Jan. 12, 1913. She, too, would take winter visitors aloft from near the Clarendon Hotel from 1913-1916.

S.S. Pierson, 75, told The News-Journal readers that her ascent with Law in 1916 was not scary. "I had no sense of fear," she wrote. "My only evidence was I noticed myself tightly clinging to the bars at each side and that I put a good deal of pressure on the footboard."

In the 1920s, the beach was a natural landing and takeoff spot for several aviators including Ed Schlee and Bill Brock, who tried to circumnavigate the globe in 1927. Later that year they brought their airplane, The "Pride of Detroit," to try for an endurance record from the beach.

Howard Hughes was among the visitors who landed on the beach here in the 1920s when he paused at a shack on the beach south of the Main Street pier that was a popular spot for pilot refueling, both literally and metaphorically.

Winder "Red" Cowan operated Red's Place, where he pumped airplane fuel and was also known to serve liquor that he had flown into town during Prohibition.

Cowen was sentenced to four years in prison for bootlegging in 1930 and his small, square, wooden building was swept into the sea during a storm surge in 1932. "It just floated away like a houseboat," Cowan told The News-Journal. After prohibition ended, he operated a legit bar on Main Street.

— Mark Lane

Do you have vintage photos to share?

Do you have photos that depict the people, landmarks and story of Volusia and Flagler counties? Don't leave them hidden away in boxes and albums. Send a scan or photo to mark.lane@news-jrnl.com for possible use on future historic photo pages.

A monoplane flying past the pre-Bandshell Boardwalk in Daytona Beach in a postcard photo.
A monoplane flying past the pre-Bandshell Boardwalk in Daytona Beach in a postcard photo.
After his New York to Daytona flight in 1919, Erwin "Eddie" Ballough took passengers on plane rides from the beach near the pier.
After his New York to Daytona flight in 1919, Erwin "Eddie" Ballough took passengers on plane rides from the beach near the pier.
The "Pride of Detroit" airplane with the famous flying team of Ed Schlee and Bill Brick on Daytona Beach in November 1927. The team had previously attempted a flight around the world.
The "Pride of Detroit" airplane with the famous flying team of Ed Schlee and Bill Brick on Daytona Beach in November 1927. The team had previously attempted a flight around the world.
Phillips Ward Page pilots a Burgess-Wright Model F biplane in winter 1912 with a female passenger. Note the belt around her legs to keep her skirt in place. Page flew guests at the Clarendon Hotel.
Phillips Ward Page pilots a Burgess-Wright Model F biplane in winter 1912 with a female passenger. Note the belt around her legs to keep her skirt in place. Page flew guests at the Clarendon Hotel.
A racer and Wright biplane on the beach at Seabreeze in 1911.
A racer and Wright biplane on the beach at Seabreeze in 1911.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: The beach at Daytona Beach was the area's first airplane runway