diggummup
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- Jul 15, 2004
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As I said every day is a different view for me.Here is a shot of the R.R. tracks out the backdoor of the building I was in today,the road to the right of the tracks is called the Dixie Highway and was the first road to go thru these parts,although this looks like a little bit of country it's not,it's a major metropolis.These tracks go all the way to Key West and this particular section was finished around 1896.Here is some history on the F.E.C.Railway,It's a little long but interesting-
Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) was developed by Henry Morrison Flagler, a United States tycoon, real estate promoter, railroad developer and Rockefeller partner in Standard Oil. Originally based in Cleveland, Ohio and formed as Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler in 1867, in 1877, Standard Oil moved its headquarters to New York City, and Flagler and his family moved there as well. He was joined by Henry H. Rogers, another leader of Standard Oil who also became involved in the development of America's railroads, including those on nearby Staten Island, the Union Pacific, and later in West Virginia, where he eventually built the remarkable Virginian Railway to transport coal to Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Promotional excursions such as the Florida Special helped make the state the tourist "Mecca" it is today.Henry Flagler's non-Standard Oil interests went in a different direction, however, when in 1878, on the advice of his physician, Flagler traveled to Jacksonville, Florida for the winter with his first wife, Mary, who was quite ill. Two years after she died in 1881, he married one of Mary's former caregivers. After their wedding, the couple traveled to St. Augustine, Florida. Flagler found the city charming, but the hotel facilities and transportation systems inadequate. He recognized Florida's potential to attract out-of-state visitors. Though Flagler remained on the Board of Directors of Standard Oil, he gave up his day-to-day involvement in the corporation in order to pursue his interests in Florida.
When Flagler returned to Florida, in 1885 he began building a grand St. Augustine hotel, the Ponce de León Hotel. Flagler realized that the key to developing Florida was a solid transportation system and consequently purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax Railroad. He also noticed that a major problem facing the existing Florida railway systems was that each operated on different gauge systems, making interconnection impossible. Shortly after purchasing the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax Railroad, he converted the line to standard gauge.
The earliest predecessor of the FEC was the narrow-gauge St. John’s Railway, incorporated in 1858, which constructed a now-abandoned line between Tocoi and St. Augustine. In 1883, Henry M. Flagler, now retired from Standard Oil, moved to St. Augustine and purchased several hotels. The East Coast of Florida was relatively undeveloped at that time, and Flagler found it difficult to obtain the construction materials he needed. In 1885, Flagler purchased all assets of the Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Halifax River Railway; as the railroad expanded southward, the company was eventually re-named “Florida East Coast Railway Company – Flagler System” on September 7, 1895.
The Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway served the northeastern portion of the state and was the first property in the Flagler Railroad system, which would eventually become the Florida East Coast Railway Company. Before Flagler bought the organization, the railroad stretched only between South Jacksonville and St. Augustine and lacked a depot sufficient to accommodate travelers to his St. Augustine resorts. Flagler built a modern depot facility as well as schools, hospitals and churches, systematically revitalizing the largely abandoned historic city.
Flagler next purchased three additional existing railroads: the St. John's Railway, the St. Augustine and Palatka Railway, and the St. Johns and Halifax River Railway so that he could provide extended rail service on standard gauge tracks. Through the operation of these three railroads, by spring 1889 Flagler's system offered service from Jacksonville to Daytona. Continuing to develop hotel facilities to entice northern tourists to visit Florida, Flagler bought and expanded the Ormond Hotel, located along the railroad's route north of Daytona.
Beginning in 1892, when landowners south of Daytona petitioned him to extend the railroad 80 miles south, Flagler began laying new railroad tracks; no longer did he follow his traditional practice of purchasing existing railroads and merging them into his growing rail system. Flagler obtained a charter from the state of Florida authorizing him to build a railroad along the Indian River to Miami and as the railroad progressed southward, cities such as New Smyrna and Titusville began to develop along the tracks.
The Florida East Coast Railway depot in Sebastian, Florida. The structure was built in 1893.By 1894, Flagler's railroad system reached what is today known as West Palm Beach. Flagler constructed the Royal Poinciana Hotel in Palm Beach overlooking the Lake Worth Lagoon. He also built The Breakers Hotel on the ocean side of Palm Beach, and Whitehall, his private 55 room, 60,000 square foot (5,600 m²) winter home. The development of these three structures, coupled with railroad access to them, established Palm Beach as a winter resort for the wealthy members of America's Gilded Age. Palm Beach was to be the terminus of the Flagler railroad, but during 1894 and 1895, severe freezes hit all of Central Florida whereas the Miami area remained unaffected, causing Flagler to rethink his original decision not to move the railroad south of Palm Beach. It is said that Julia Tuttle, one of two main landowners in the Miami area along with the Brickell family, sent orange blossom to Flagler to prove him that Miami, unlike the rest of the State, was unaffected by the frost. To further convince Flagler to continue the railroad to Miami, both Julia Tuttle and William Brickell offered land to the Florida East Coast Canal and Transportation Company, and the Boston and Florida Atlantic Coast Land Company in exchange for laying rail tracks.
On September 7, 1895, the name of Flagler's system was changed from the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway Company to the Florida East Coast Railway Company and by 1896, it reached Biscayne Bay at present day downtown Miami, at the time a small settlement of less than 50 inhabitants. When the town incorporated in 1896, its citizens wanted to honor the man responsible for the city's development by naming it, "Flagler." He declined the honor, persuading them to keep the city's old Indian name, "Miami." The area was actually previously known as "Fort Dallas" after the Fort built there in the 1830's during the second Seminole War. To further develop the area surrounding the Miami railroad station, Flagler dredged a channel, built streets, instituted the first water and power systems, and financed the town's first newspaper, the Metropolis. Flagler was a great visionary and he can be credited for the development of the entire east coast of Florida. Yet he lacked vision on at least one issue: he felt that Miami would never be more than a fishing village.
As of 1905, Flagler started what everybody considered a folly: the extension of the FEC to Key West which would later be known as "The Overseas Railway," at the time considered the eighth wonder of the world and surely the most daring infrastructure ever built exclusively with private funds. The first train arrived in Key West on January 22, 1912.
[edit] Key West Extension: Eighth Wonder of the World
Never one to rest on his laurels, Flagler next sought perhaps his greatest challenge: the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city of almost 20,000 inhabitants located 128 miles beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. Flagler became particularly interested in linking Key West to the mainland after the United States announced in 1905 the construction of the Panama Canal. Key West, the United States' closest deep-water port to the Canal, could not only take advantage of Cuban and Latin America trade, but the opening of the Canal would allow significant trade possibilities with the west.
The construction of the Overseas Railroad required many engineering innovations as well as vast amounts of labor and monetary resources. At one time during construction, four thousand men were employed. During the seven year construction, five hurricanes threatened to halt the project.
Despite the hardships, the final link of the Florida East Coast Railway was completed in 1912. In that year, a proud Henry Flagler rode the first train into Key West, marking the completion of the railroad's overseas connection to Key West and the linkage by railway of the entire east coast of Florida.
Hundreds of workers on the Florida East Coast Railway's Overseas Extension were lost when a hurricane swept the through the Keys and battered Miami on October 18, 1906.Nearly a century later, the effects of Henry Flagler's incredible accomplishments can still clearly be seen throughout Florida. Perhaps even more amazingly, as Florida is now well-known as a retirement state of preference for many Americans, Flagler accomplished these feats after retiring from his first career. Flagler had already founded and developed the vast empire of Standard Oil with partners John D. Rockefeller, Samuel Andrews, and Henry H. Rogers before becoming interested in Florida. Linking the entire east coast of Florida, a state that at the time was largely an uninhabited frontier, demanded a great deal of foresight and perseverance.
The Florida Overseas Railroad, also known as the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway, was heavily damaged and partially destroyed in the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The Florida East Coast Railway was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections, so the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the State of Florida, which built the Overseas Highway to Key West, using much of the remaining railway infrastructure. A rebuilt Overseas Highway (U.S. Route 1) following Flagler's dream, continues to provide a highway link to Key West, ending at the southernmost point in the continental United States.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_East_Coast_Railway"
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a US-registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.
Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) was developed by Henry Morrison Flagler, a United States tycoon, real estate promoter, railroad developer and Rockefeller partner in Standard Oil. Originally based in Cleveland, Ohio and formed as Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler in 1867, in 1877, Standard Oil moved its headquarters to New York City, and Flagler and his family moved there as well. He was joined by Henry H. Rogers, another leader of Standard Oil who also became involved in the development of America's railroads, including those on nearby Staten Island, the Union Pacific, and later in West Virginia, where he eventually built the remarkable Virginian Railway to transport coal to Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Promotional excursions such as the Florida Special helped make the state the tourist "Mecca" it is today.Henry Flagler's non-Standard Oil interests went in a different direction, however, when in 1878, on the advice of his physician, Flagler traveled to Jacksonville, Florida for the winter with his first wife, Mary, who was quite ill. Two years after she died in 1881, he married one of Mary's former caregivers. After their wedding, the couple traveled to St. Augustine, Florida. Flagler found the city charming, but the hotel facilities and transportation systems inadequate. He recognized Florida's potential to attract out-of-state visitors. Though Flagler remained on the Board of Directors of Standard Oil, he gave up his day-to-day involvement in the corporation in order to pursue his interests in Florida.
When Flagler returned to Florida, in 1885 he began building a grand St. Augustine hotel, the Ponce de León Hotel. Flagler realized that the key to developing Florida was a solid transportation system and consequently purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax Railroad. He also noticed that a major problem facing the existing Florida railway systems was that each operated on different gauge systems, making interconnection impossible. Shortly after purchasing the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax Railroad, he converted the line to standard gauge.
The earliest predecessor of the FEC was the narrow-gauge St. John’s Railway, incorporated in 1858, which constructed a now-abandoned line between Tocoi and St. Augustine. In 1883, Henry M. Flagler, now retired from Standard Oil, moved to St. Augustine and purchased several hotels. The East Coast of Florida was relatively undeveloped at that time, and Flagler found it difficult to obtain the construction materials he needed. In 1885, Flagler purchased all assets of the Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Halifax River Railway; as the railroad expanded southward, the company was eventually re-named “Florida East Coast Railway Company – Flagler System” on September 7, 1895.
The Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway served the northeastern portion of the state and was the first property in the Flagler Railroad system, which would eventually become the Florida East Coast Railway Company. Before Flagler bought the organization, the railroad stretched only between South Jacksonville and St. Augustine and lacked a depot sufficient to accommodate travelers to his St. Augustine resorts. Flagler built a modern depot facility as well as schools, hospitals and churches, systematically revitalizing the largely abandoned historic city.
Flagler next purchased three additional existing railroads: the St. John's Railway, the St. Augustine and Palatka Railway, and the St. Johns and Halifax River Railway so that he could provide extended rail service on standard gauge tracks. Through the operation of these three railroads, by spring 1889 Flagler's system offered service from Jacksonville to Daytona. Continuing to develop hotel facilities to entice northern tourists to visit Florida, Flagler bought and expanded the Ormond Hotel, located along the railroad's route north of Daytona.
Beginning in 1892, when landowners south of Daytona petitioned him to extend the railroad 80 miles south, Flagler began laying new railroad tracks; no longer did he follow his traditional practice of purchasing existing railroads and merging them into his growing rail system. Flagler obtained a charter from the state of Florida authorizing him to build a railroad along the Indian River to Miami and as the railroad progressed southward, cities such as New Smyrna and Titusville began to develop along the tracks.
The Florida East Coast Railway depot in Sebastian, Florida. The structure was built in 1893.By 1894, Flagler's railroad system reached what is today known as West Palm Beach. Flagler constructed the Royal Poinciana Hotel in Palm Beach overlooking the Lake Worth Lagoon. He also built The Breakers Hotel on the ocean side of Palm Beach, and Whitehall, his private 55 room, 60,000 square foot (5,600 m²) winter home. The development of these three structures, coupled with railroad access to them, established Palm Beach as a winter resort for the wealthy members of America's Gilded Age. Palm Beach was to be the terminus of the Flagler railroad, but during 1894 and 1895, severe freezes hit all of Central Florida whereas the Miami area remained unaffected, causing Flagler to rethink his original decision not to move the railroad south of Palm Beach. It is said that Julia Tuttle, one of two main landowners in the Miami area along with the Brickell family, sent orange blossom to Flagler to prove him that Miami, unlike the rest of the State, was unaffected by the frost. To further convince Flagler to continue the railroad to Miami, both Julia Tuttle and William Brickell offered land to the Florida East Coast Canal and Transportation Company, and the Boston and Florida Atlantic Coast Land Company in exchange for laying rail tracks.
On September 7, 1895, the name of Flagler's system was changed from the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway Company to the Florida East Coast Railway Company and by 1896, it reached Biscayne Bay at present day downtown Miami, at the time a small settlement of less than 50 inhabitants. When the town incorporated in 1896, its citizens wanted to honor the man responsible for the city's development by naming it, "Flagler." He declined the honor, persuading them to keep the city's old Indian name, "Miami." The area was actually previously known as "Fort Dallas" after the Fort built there in the 1830's during the second Seminole War. To further develop the area surrounding the Miami railroad station, Flagler dredged a channel, built streets, instituted the first water and power systems, and financed the town's first newspaper, the Metropolis. Flagler was a great visionary and he can be credited for the development of the entire east coast of Florida. Yet he lacked vision on at least one issue: he felt that Miami would never be more than a fishing village.
As of 1905, Flagler started what everybody considered a folly: the extension of the FEC to Key West which would later be known as "The Overseas Railway," at the time considered the eighth wonder of the world and surely the most daring infrastructure ever built exclusively with private funds. The first train arrived in Key West on January 22, 1912.
[edit] Key West Extension: Eighth Wonder of the World
Never one to rest on his laurels, Flagler next sought perhaps his greatest challenge: the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city of almost 20,000 inhabitants located 128 miles beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. Flagler became particularly interested in linking Key West to the mainland after the United States announced in 1905 the construction of the Panama Canal. Key West, the United States' closest deep-water port to the Canal, could not only take advantage of Cuban and Latin America trade, but the opening of the Canal would allow significant trade possibilities with the west.
The construction of the Overseas Railroad required many engineering innovations as well as vast amounts of labor and monetary resources. At one time during construction, four thousand men were employed. During the seven year construction, five hurricanes threatened to halt the project.
Despite the hardships, the final link of the Florida East Coast Railway was completed in 1912. In that year, a proud Henry Flagler rode the first train into Key West, marking the completion of the railroad's overseas connection to Key West and the linkage by railway of the entire east coast of Florida.
Hundreds of workers on the Florida East Coast Railway's Overseas Extension were lost when a hurricane swept the through the Keys and battered Miami on October 18, 1906.Nearly a century later, the effects of Henry Flagler's incredible accomplishments can still clearly be seen throughout Florida. Perhaps even more amazingly, as Florida is now well-known as a retirement state of preference for many Americans, Flagler accomplished these feats after retiring from his first career. Flagler had already founded and developed the vast empire of Standard Oil with partners John D. Rockefeller, Samuel Andrews, and Henry H. Rogers before becoming interested in Florida. Linking the entire east coast of Florida, a state that at the time was largely an uninhabited frontier, demanded a great deal of foresight and perseverance.
The Florida Overseas Railroad, also known as the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway, was heavily damaged and partially destroyed in the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The Florida East Coast Railway was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections, so the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the State of Florida, which built the Overseas Highway to Key West, using much of the remaining railway infrastructure. A rebuilt Overseas Highway (U.S. Route 1) following Flagler's dream, continues to provide a highway link to Key West, ending at the southernmost point in the continental United States.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_East_Coast_Railway"
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a US-registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.
