The Story of Steamboat Landing
Mr. Charles E. Cessna was an astute, visionary businessman from Chicago who saw Freeport as the next coastal city of the future with the potential to become a bustling town full of commerce and entertainment. Mr. Cessna recognized the immense beauty of this particular property, and, in addition to commissioning his mighty 3-story steamboat, Mr. Cessna formed Santa Rosa Plantation Co. and originally purchased and platted this bayfront property as ‘Bay View Subdivision’ with its own ‘Steamboat Landing.’
The Original Plat
At the whopping price of $30 per acre over 100 years ago, Mr. Cessna marketed his property to ‘northerners’, as he knew then the true splendor of this property. In fact, he is quoted as saying, “Nothing would give me more pleasure than to take a lot of northern skeptics down to Bay View [Steamboat Landing] and show them the surprise of their life.” However, northerners were skeptical of Florida property purchases due to the state’s sandy soil. Charles Cessna was an honorable man who wanted to promote the Florida lifestyle, and, understanding their skepticism, his marketing actually included mailing out liberal samples of the soil from this land! “What other Florida land company ever did such a thing?” – Charles E. Cessna
Fortunately for you, this skepticism kept Mr. Cessna from selling off this property, and now the new is inspired by the old. Innovative Hammock Bay developer, Jay Odom, has brought Charles Cessna’s vision to fruition. You can now own your piece of the Florida lifestyle — quaint natural beauty within minutes of bustling commerce and entertainment. Bordered to the north by 120 acres of beautiful, wooded permanent nature preserve, Steamboat Landing is now being offered for sale to the public.
Enjoy contemporary elegance where it meets memories of the past. As you sit on Steamboat Landing’s dock on Choctawhatchee Bay, imagine the distant steam as it approaches closer and closer until it arrives, knowing you are among the new set of passengers on their journey to call this stunning property ‘Home.’
