In 1871, Mathias Day, Jr., a migrant from Mansfield, Ohio, purchased a large tract of land along the west bank of the Halifax River, which included the former Williams Plantation. With the construction of Day's hotel, today's Daytona Beach Historic District was created. In 1876, residents named the city "Daytona," in honor of Day, when the area was incorporated as a town. Growth continued in 1886 when the St. Johns & Halifax River Railway extended to Daytona.

In 1926, the towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach, Kingston, and Seabreeze merged together as Daytona Beach, in an effort led by J. B. Kahn. By this time, the beach had been nicknamed "The World's Most Famous Beach." Automobile and motorcycle races began in 1902, due to the smooth, compacted sand that covered the beach. Daytona Beach became the site of various land speed record attempts. On March 8, 1836, the first stock car race was held at the Daytona Beach Road Course, which is located in present-day Ponce Inlet. William France, Sr. and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) established the Daytona International Speedway in 1958 to replace the beach course.]]>
Daytona Beach Collection, Volusia County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>