Cassen Park & The Granada Pier were established along the Halifax River in 2001. So the park is fairly new and overlooks the Casements across the river. I have visited this park quite a few times and even after midnight it seems that it is always busy with fishermen, lovers kissing in there cars, and people just walking around. The park features a pier, gazebos, memorials, bait shop, benches, and even a walkway which goes underneath the Granada Bridge itself. 

The first bridge to cross the Halifax River was opened in 1887 and was financed by a man named Stephen Van Cullen White. Eventually like most bridges it was rebuilt and called the Rockefeller Memorial Bridge in 1954. The reason for that is the Casements which Rockefeller resided at lived along the bridges entrance. A very prominent man who till this day is still very remembered. Then recently like most bridges that cross the Halifax they were rebuilt, restored, reinforced and the draw bridges were no longer needed. The Granada bridge was the final work. Rumor has it that when the Granada Bridge was being rebuilt a man fell into one of the concrete pillars and to this day is still buried within the bridges structure. Concrete is alot like quicksand once you fall in there is no means of survival. There was nothing that could be done as the concrete had hardened. There are no plaques or memorials here but two people have told me about this. So perhaps his spirit roams the park which actually goes partially under the Granada Bridge.

There is also alot of history to the area as at one time the Timucuan Indians fished and lived off the shores nearby the park. Not to far away perhaps a mile is a native American Indian burial mound. Usually where the mounds are often means the village was nearby perhaps closer to this park since the Indians needed the Halifax for fishing and traveling across the river to get to the Atlantic.

In 1886 near the park the arrival of the St Johns and Halifax River Railroad came to be by 1887 a railroad bridge spanned across the Halifax. Then in 1888 John Anderson and Joseph D. Price went into the hotel business. A 14 year old designed the first floor which had 70 rooms. Eventually it grew to 100 miles worth of corridors and 380plus rooms. It was deemed in the early 1900s and the largest wooden building in the United States.

In 1890 Henry Flagler had alot to do with the hotels expansion as he purchased it installing a casino, swimming pool, dormitory, beach pavilion, river pier, and even a few elevators. He even had the railroad bridge remodeled so that wealthy visitors could bring there Pullman Cars to one of the hotel's entrances. 

In the 1930s and 1940s the hotel had many different owners and at times it had various services that were provided. An example of this was it was a nightclub, had a hotel management school, a retirement home for missionaries and ministers. Nonetheless it struggled to stay open and by 1968 Granada Ave which is part of the Bridge and runs along the park caused the destruction of 24 hotel rooms to make room for such a road of this size. 

In 1980 it was placed on the National Register Of Historic Places and just six years later after being deemed as a fire and safety hazard it was closed down.  A year later it was torn down and of course like most places in Florida when something becomes demolished usually another hotel, road, condos or houses gets built right over it. 

Although the hotel has very little to do with the park the bridge which crossed over practically led visitors right to the hotel. So there is alot of history as 10000s of visitors would have to travel past the park to get to the hotel. So there is alot of history to the entire area and we have to ask ourselves why would there not be a ghost story or two associated with this gloomy park?

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Rick-AngelOfThyNight