Daytona Beach was founded in 1870 and incorporated in 1876. Its 28 National Register listings with dates, the Black Heritage Trail and museums with hours.

Last checked Oct. 8, 2026. History comes from the City of Daytona Beach history page and its Black Heritage Trail pages; National Register listings and dates from the National Park Service’s National Register spreadsheet, listings through May 22, 2026. Museum hours are as each museum publishes them.

Daytona Beach was founded in 1870 and became a city when it was incorporated in 1876, according to the city’s history page, which makes 2026 its 150th year. Most sources agree the name comes from its founder, Matthias D. Day, a businessman from Mansfield, Ohio, who bought 2,144.5 acres in the spring of 1871 for $8,000. In 1926 three towns, Daytona, Daytona Beach and Seabreeze, merged as Daytona Beach.

Visit

  • Halifax Historical Museum: 252 S. Beach St., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (hours)
  • City historic preservation: Planning Division, 386-671-8120 (Historic Preservation)
  • Black Heritage Trail: 18 sites, listed on the city’s trail page

How the city grew

Daytona Beach’s wide, hard-packed beach made it known in the early 1900s for high-speed automobile testing and then racing, the city says. By the 1920s it was being called the “World’s Most Famous Beach.” Racing moved off the sand to Daytona International Speedway, built by NASCAR founder William “Bill” France, which has hosted the Daytona 500 since 1959.

The city is also home to Bethune-Cookman University, founded by educator Mary McLeod Bethune. Her home, “The Retreat,” was built in 1905 by Black architect and builder A.B. Raddick and bought for her in 1913; she lived there until her death on May 18, 1955, at 79, according to the city’s Black Heritage Trail page. Her grave is just west of the house on the campus. Howard Thurman, author of Jesus and the Disinherited and a mentor to civil rights leaders, was born and raised in the 1888 house at 614 Whitehall St.

Historic downtown and districts

Downtown’s riverfront commercial strip is the South Beach Street Historic District, listed in 1988 and roughly bounded by Volusia Avenue, Beach Street, South Street and U.S. 1. The Halifax Historical Museum occupies the Merchants Bank Building, 252 S. Beach St., listed in 1986. On the beachside, the Seabreeze, Daytona Beach Surfside and South Peninsula historic districts cover large residential and commercial areas between the Halifax River and the ocean.

Every National Register listing in Daytona Beach

The National Park Service lists 28 properties and districts in Daytona Beach. The table gives each one’s address as recorded and the date it was listed. The Mary McLeod Bethune Home is also a National Historic Landmark, designated Dec. 2, 1974.

Property Address Listed
Mary McLeod Bethune Home (National Historic Landmark) Bethune-Cookman University campus Dec. 2, 1974
S.H. Kress and Co. Building 140 S. Beach St. July 7, 1983
Merchants Bank Building 252 S. Beach St. Jan. 6, 1986
Rogers House 436 N. Beach St. Sept. 11, 1986
The Abbey 426 S. Beach St. April 9, 1987
U.S. Post Office 220 N. Beach St. June 30, 1988
South Beach Street Historic District Volusia Avenue, Beach Street, South Street and U.S. 1 Sept. 15, 1988
Howard Thurman House 614 Whitehall St. Feb. 23, 1990
S. Cornelia Young Memorial Library 302 Vermont Ave. June 25, 1992
White Hall 640 Second Ave. July 15, 1992
El Pino Parque Historic District 1412-1604 N. Halifax Drive April 26, 1993
Delos A. Blodgett House 404 Ridgewood Ave. Aug. 2, 1993
Bartholomew J. Donnelly House 801 N. Peninsula Drive Aug. 2, 1993
Olds Hall 340 S. Ridgewood Ave. Sept. 23, 1993
Amos Kling House 220-222 Magnolia Ave. Dec. 2, 1993
Tourist Church 501 N. Wild Olive Ave. Oct. 6, 1995
Bethune-Cookman College Historic District 620 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd. March 21, 1996
Daytona Beach Surfside Historic District Auditorium Boulevard, the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. 92 and the Halifax River Aug. 1, 1996
Cypress Street Elementary School 900 Cypress St. Dec. 2, 1996
Southwest Daytona Beach Black Heritage District Foote Court, South Street, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the FEC railroad May 23, 1997
Seybold Baking Company Factory 800 Orange Ave. Oct. 30, 1997
Seabreeze Historic District University Boulevard, the Halifax River, Auditorium Boulevard and North Atlantic Avenue Sept. 3, 1998
City Island Ball Park (Jackie Robinson Ballpark) City Island Oct. 22, 1998
South Peninsula Historic District The peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Halifax River Nov. 19, 1998
Daytona Beach Bandshell and Oceanfront Park Complex Ocean Avenue, north of Main Street and Atlantic Avenue March 5, 1999
City Island 108 E. Orange Ave. Jan. 7, 2000
Tarragona Tower Tarragona Way and International Speedway Boulevard May 6, 2005
South Ridgewood Elementary School 747 S. Ridgewood Ave. July 14, 2011

Each property’s nomination file is in the National Archives catalog, linked from the NPS spreadsheet.

Museums and sites you can visit

  • Halifax Historical Museum, 252 S. Beach St., in the 1986-listed Merchants Bank Building: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Guided tours can be booked on the museum’s site.
  • Mary McLeod Bethune Home, 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd., on the Bethune-Cookman campus. The city says its interior and furnishings remain as they were when Bethune lived there. Check visiting hours with Bethune-Cookman University before you go.
  • The Cici & Hyatt Brown Museum of Art, Science & History (formerly the Museum of Arts and Sciences), 352 S. Nova Road, is closed to daily visitors while it prepares to expand, and runs programs around the community, according to the museum.
  • The Black Heritage Trail links 18 sites, from Bethune’s home and grave to Jackie Robinson Ballpark and the Howard Thurman Home, a compilation inspired by Yvonne Scarlett-Golden, the city’s first African American mayor. See the list of stops.
  • The Bandshell and Oceanfront Park, listed in 1999, still hosts concerts beside the boardwalk.

What this means for you

  • The city turns 150 in 2026 and is marking it with sesquicentennial programs.
  • The Halifax Historical Museum is the place to start, Tuesday through Saturday.
  • The Planning Division runs the city’s historic preservation program; ask before exterior work on a locally designated property.

Related: parks and trails, things to do this month and population.

Frequently asked questions

When was Daytona Beach founded?

Daytona Beach was founded in 1870 and incorporated as a city in 1876, according to the city. In 1926 the towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach and Seabreeze merged as Daytona Beach.

Who was Daytona Beach named after?

Matthias D. Day, a businessman from Mansfield, Ohio, who bought 2,144.5 acres in the spring of 1871 for $8,000, according to the city’s history page.

How many National Register of Historic Places listings are in Daytona Beach?

The National Park Service’s register lists 28 properties and districts in Daytona Beach as of May 22, 2026. The Mary McLeod Bethune Home is also a National Historic Landmark.

What are the Halifax Historical Museum’s hours?

The museum at 252 S. Beach St. is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday, according to the museum.