The College Arms Hotel, DeLand, Florida circa 1904

In the late 1800s, men like Jacob Brock and Henry Addison DeLand introduced civilized comforts to the wild interior of West Volusia, which resulted in a tourism boom that is still ongoing. Jacob Brock built the Brock House hotel and used his steamboats to bring such notables as Henry A. DeLand and American presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes there to vacation. Continued tourism growth brought about the need for more hotels. The Ponce De Leon Springs Hotel was built around the fabled Fountain of Youth, while the bustling town of DeLand offered several more hotels, like the Putnam, Carrollton, College Arms, and DeLand. John Batterson Stetson vacationed in DeLand and built a home, bought a hotel he renamed the College Arms, and extended the railroad to his hotel doorstep for the convenience of his guests. These and other hotels helped shape the growth and history of West Volusia County.