Ormond

Ormond, a village and winter resort of Volusia county, Florida, U.S.A., about 68 m. by rail S. of St Augustine. It is situated on the Halifax river, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean extending for 25 m. along the E. coast of Florida. Pop. (1900) 595; (1905 state census) 689. It is served by the Florida East Coast Railway. The Halifax river region is famous for its excellent oranges and grape-fruit. The hard and compact Ormond-Daytona beach, about 200 ft. wide at low tide and about 20 m. long, offers exceptional facilities for driving, motoring and bicycling; on it are held the annual tournaments of the Florida East Coast Automobile Association. The old King's Road, built by the English between 1763 and 1783, from St Mary's, Georgia, some 400 m. to the south, has been improved for automobiles between Ormond and Jacksonville. About 2 m. west of Ormond are the ruins of an old sugar mill, probably dating from the last quarter of the 18th century and not, as is frequently said, from the Spanish occupation in the 16th century. About 5 m. south of Ormond and also on the Halifax river is another popular winter resort, Daytona (pop. 1900, 1690; 1905, state census, 2199), founded in 1870 as Tomoka by Mathias Day of Mansfield, Ohio, in whose honour it was renamed Daytona in 1871. Its streets and drives are shaded by live oaks, palmettos, hickories and magnolias.