Skip to main content

Taco Bay Commercial Company Records

 Collection
Identifier: MS Group 151

Scope and Content

The collection consists of correspondence, financial records and stockholders' reports.

Dates

  • Creation: 1908-1919

Creator

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

Taco Bay Commercial Company was an American-owned agricultural enterprise with extensive property holdings in Cuba from 1903 to 1920. The company had 21,000 acres of mostly cocoanut trees and cocoa plants with a small amount of sugar cane on its plantation near Baracoa in easternmost Oriente province. Its headquarters was in Boston with a major branch office in Jacksonville, Florida. The company was renamed Taco Bay Company following its sale in 1916 for $25,000.

Initially, directors of the company viewed the land as a safe investment and neglected to manage the holdings adequately. This oversight manifested itself in low crop yields in the early years, poor on-site management, and ongoing boundary disputes resulting from inadequate surveying and difficulties with Cuban officials. At least 7,000 acres were in dispute in 1912 with an additional 5,000 to 6,000 possibly included. Ultimately, Taco Bay regained the disputed property. The company president and the property manager both were replaced at about the same time.

The directors of Taco Bay Company conceded that they had neither the time nor the energy to oversee a plantation that continued to develop and increase in value. They sold the company to a group of investors in 1920 for $200,000 and the collection terminates at the point of the sale.

Extent

0.4 Linear feet (1 Box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Correspondence, financial records and stockholders' reports of the Taco Bay Commercial Company in Cuba.

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Alternate Form of Finding Aid

This guide is available in Spanish at https://www.uflib.ufl.edu/findingaids/Spanish/msgroup151.pdf.

Alternate Form of Material

Digital reproductions of items in this collection are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.

Title
A Guide to the Taco Bay Commercial Company Records
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Dept. Staff
Date
August 2004
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository

Contact:
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755