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.
The collection consists of correspondence, financial records and stockholders' reports.
Collection is open for research.
[Identification of item], Taco Bay Commercial Company Records, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries,
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
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Box 1 |
Adams, Charles E. to Board of Directors, Letter of Resignation as President. July 20, 1912
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Adams, Charles E. to Crooks, E.F. Letters. June 8 and 10, 1912 |
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Adams, Charles E. to Hammond, John C. Letter. March 5, 1914 |
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Adams, Charles E. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letters. 1911-1915 |
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Adams, Charles E. to Stockholders Letter. August 24, 1911 |
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Agreement to purchase shares, Taco Bay Commercial Company. February 20, 1914 |
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Andrews, C.L. to Corbett, Walter P. Letter. March 9, 1916 |
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Andrews, C.L. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letter. March 22, 1916 |
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Assets and liabilities, Taco Bay Commercial Company. 1909-1913 |
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Auditor's report for period from 6/2/1903 to 5/31/1910, Taco Bay Commercial Company. 1903-1910 |
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Belding, A.H. to Hammond, Thomas J. 2/19/1915 and 12/28/1915 Letters. 1915 |
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Burroughs, R.B. to Crooks, E.F. Letters. October 6 and 13, 1915 |
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Burroughs, R.B. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letter. December 23, 1915 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Adams, Charles E. Letter. 1913-1915 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Comstock, J.K. Letter. June 27, 1919 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Cotton, Fred S. 8/22/1913 and 8/26/1914 Letters. 1913-1914 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Crooks, E.F. 11/16/1915 and 10/2/1916 Letters. 1915-1916 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Cunningham, George T. Letter. April 1, 1913 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letters. 1913-1919 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Lamar, L.Q.C. Letters. 1913-1915 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Mayo, Nathaniel F. Letters. 1913 |
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Corbett, Walter P. to Nuckols, Henry W. Letters. 1915-1920 |
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Cotton, Fred S. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letters. 1914-1915 |
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Cotton, Fred S. to Rinehart, C.D. Letter. December 18, 1914 |
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Crane, Senator William M. to Hammond, John C. Letters. 1912-1913 |
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Crooks, E.F. to Burroughs, R.B. Letter. October 9, 1915 |
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Crooks, E.F. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letter. February 18, 1915 |
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Cunningham, George T. to Adams, Charles E. Letters. 1912-1913 |
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Cunningham, George T. to Hammond, John C. Letter. March 3, 1910 |
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Cunningham, George T. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letters. 1914 |
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Dickinson, Charles to Hammond, Thomas J. Letters. 1911-1913 |
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Dickinson, Marquis F. to Hammond, John C. Letters. 1910-1913 |
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Eichhorn, A.C. Letter to Taco Bay Commercial Company. March 15, 1913 |
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Financial statements, Taco Bay Commercial Company. 1906-1915 |
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Hammond, John C. to Lodge, Senator Henry Cabot. August 24, 1912 |
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Hammond, John C. to Williams, Ernest S. Letters. 1909-1910 |
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Hammond, Thomas J. Memo of meeting with Cunningham, George T. n.d. |
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Hammond, Thomas J. to Corbett, Walter P. Letter. 1915 |
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Jennings, John F. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letter. February 23, 1915 |
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Lamar, L.Q.C. to Corbett, Walter P. Letter. November 16 and 24, 1914 |
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Lamar, L.Q.C. to Dickinson, Charles and Marquis F. Letters. 1911-1913 |
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Lamar, L.Q.C., Statement to Directors of Taco Bay Commercial Company. July 20, 1914 |
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Legal services of Hammond and Hammond for Taco Bay Commercial Company. May 1, 1909 |
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Map of Oriente province, Cuba. n.d. (ca. 1915) |
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Marengo Mine, Legal provisions and rulings. 1910-1911 |
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Mayo, Nathaniel F. to Adams, Charles E. Letter. April 19, 1911 |
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McCormack, Edgar W. to Corbett, Colonel Walter P. Letter. May 30, 1912 |
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Mining regulations by Cuban government. May 18, 1914 |
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Miscellaneous documents and correspondence. n.d. |
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Rinehart, C.D. to Adams, Charles E. Letter. June 16, 1914 |
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Rinehart, C.D. to Belding, A.H. Letter. March 16, 1915 |
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Rinehart, C.D. to Hammond, Thomas J. Letters. 1914-1916 |
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Seewald, Oscar to Hammond, Thomas J. and John C. Letter. June 2, 1911 |
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Stockholders annual meetings, Taco Bay Commercial Company. 1911-1915 |
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Stockholders lists, Taco Bay Commercial Company. 1909-1913 |
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Stockholders reports. 1908-1919 |
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U.S. Consul to Secretary of State Report. December 26, 1912 |
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U.S. State Department to Crane, Senator William M. Letters. 1912-1913 |
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U.S. State Department to Lodge, Senator Henry Cabot Letters. 1912-1913 |
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Williams, Ernest S. to Hammond, John C. Letter. June 27, 1910 |
