350. Heiress Visits Pensacola 1913

Updated: Mar 23, 2022

On the afternoon of February 5, 1913, a L&N train pulled into the Pensacola depot on Wright Street at 4:30 PM. Attached to the train was a special rail car, which happened to be noteworthy all by itself! On the side of the car was the word "California" emblazoned in bold, gold letters. The citizens of Pensacola were used to people of notoriety coming through their city but not any that had their own private rail car. When word filtered out to the press, reporters and citizens alike started sniffing around but no interviews were granted during the two hours it was at the station.

As it so happens, this was the private car of a Mrs. Clara Baldwin Stocker, the daughter of the California tycoon Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin. He was an extraordinary businessman from real estate to investments during the late 1800's. One of his landmarks was the Baldwin Hotel and Theater in San Francisco built in 1875. Born in 1828, Baldwin traveled to California in a covered wagon train, fought Indians. and opened up stores in the Gold Rush. Everything he touched turned to gold. He even dabbled in horse racing, which in turn brought him into contact with the famous Wyatt Earp. Both Baldwin and Earp frequented the track in Los Angeles and Wyatt's wife wrote in her book that she and the famed gunfighter were married on Baldwin's yacht.

In 2013, the city of Arcadia erected a bronze statue of Baldwin titled "A Dawin in the West in the Monsignor O’Keefe Rose Garden of the Anita Park race track. Upon his death in 1909, he had amassed a huge fortune of roughly $25,000, 000 or $712,000,000 today. This fortune would be divided by his two daughters Anita Baldwin McClaughry and Clara Baldwin Stocker (half sisters). But whereas Anita was a very private person, Clara was an extravagant woman who loved to be bedecked in fine jewelry and dresses. In fact, the rail car now sitting on the Wright Street tracks was a fine example. She had the Pullman Company specifically create this car #100 in 1912 especially for her at the cost of $40,000 or $1,138,000 today. It had everything for the times. The only reason she stayed in Pensacola as long as she did was to have the California hooked up to the L&N locomotive bound for Jacksonville. Only ten days ago, Clara had traveled from New York to Arcadia, CA to her new $60,000 mansion ($1.7M). Now it was time to head out again to visit all the Flagler hotels in Florida. Prior to heading for Florida she put out an article bragging to one and all as to how she had spent her wealth so far. On the list was a $200,000 steam yacht ($5.2M), diamonds $250,000 ($6.5M), the $60,000 Colonel Northam residence ($1.6M), the the $30,000 Venice mansion ($785K), the Pullman rail car ($1.1M), $20,000 ($523K) silverware, $20,000 ($523K) in automobiles. Her last boast was "I believe I just about bought Tiffany's out!"

Clara would marry four times and was known as the "Diamond Princess." Upon her death in 1929 her collection was estimated at $1,500,000 or $22 million today. In her will she had set up a trust to help women. With this legacy the Clara Baldwin Stocker Home was built by her great grandson in 1963. The purpose of her legacy was to create a home of women who were without support from their families and who could no longer care for themselves. The home is still in use today.

So when all was ready and the "California" had been coupled to the next east bound train, Clara chugged out of Pensacola leaving the coastal town far behind on her next leg of her spending extravaganza! Sadly, none of our local merchants had what it would take to interest the likes of Clara Baldwin and her bottomless treasure chest! So it would a long time before they saw such luxury like they witnessed that afternoon.

Elias Jackson Baldwin (1824-1909)

The famous sheriff and gunfighter Wyatt Earp

(1848-1929) loved the racing of horse as much

as Lucky Baldwin

Josephine Sarah "Sadie" Marcus Behan Earp (1861-1944) who wrote in her book about life with her famous husband that the two of them were married on Lucky Baldwin's yacht