Conrad Kupfrian
Conrad Kupfrian | |
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Born | December 17, 1833 Germany |
Died | February 16, 1892 Pensacola |
Occupation | Businessman |
Conrad Kupfrian was a Pensacolian businessman who founded the Pensacola Streetcar Company and introduced streetcars to Pensacola, in 1884. Kupfrian was also the proprietor of Kupfrian's Park.
A native of Germany, Kupfrian immigrated to America at age fourteen. After moving to Pensacola, he was apparently sent to St. Louis by his employer for career training, where he saw and was inspired by the city's horsecar system. Returning to Pensacola, he formed a partnership with John Pfeiffer and John Cosgrove, raising $50,000 in capital and persuading the City Council to pass an ordinance allowing steel tracks in the roadway. His first streetcars were horse-drawn, but he later converted to electric.
Kupfrian created an amusement park in what was then the northwestern part of the city, known as Kupfrian's Park, as a destination to complement the streetcar system after normal business hours.