It would take 7 years, over 50 million dollars ($1.25 billion in 2019) and 17 million cubic yards of material placed on the right-of-way to see his vision become a reality. Flagler’s Railroad, A Brief History. Flickr/Florida Keys--Public Libraries. It was then that he decided to expand his railroad from Miami through the Florida Keys. The Potatoville Railroad Station (historical) is located in Flagler County, Florida, United States. More information on Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway, is available at the Flagler Museum, 1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach, Fla. (561-655-2833) or on the museum website, www.flagler… Contact the Statewide Information Line: The Florida Keys, a string of islands that reach more than 100 miles southwest from the southern tip of mainland Florida, appealed to Flagler. Students can trace the route of the East Coast Railway on a map of Florida. In 1935, the FEC sold Flagler’s private railcar to the Georgia Northern Railroad and it was renamed the Moultrie. The site chosen was a small man-made island just west of Miami Beach. Despite the hardships, the final link of the Over-Sea Railroad was completed in 1912 and the first official train to reach Key West pulled Henry Flagler's private Railcar No. The Flagler Railroad. But there's more to CSX than you might expect. Our O, HO and N scale layouts are located at: The Little Engine Academy, 499 South Nova Road, Ormond Beach, Florida 32174. 1913 Henry M. Flagler dies in Palm Beach and is buried in St. Augustine. Due to the high cost of building and maintaining the railroad, the company chose to sell the railroad to the state of Florida and Monroe County for $640,000. Students can identify key locations on the East Coast Railway. By this point the railroad was running with steam power but eventually proved superfluous as a nearby road, the St. Augustine & Palatka Railway (built during the mid-1880s and acquired by Flagler's St. Augustine & Halifax River Railway on March 1, 1889), offered a better outlet from St. Augustine to the St. Johns River at East Palatka. Learn all about CSX and discover what we're doing for our customers, environment and communities. Henry M. Flagler and a party of 7 men inspecting the work on the railroad on Stock Island on February 8, 1906. Who We Are We are Model Railroad enthusiasts, from the greater Flagler and Volusia Counties of East Central Florida, who want to share our love of model railroading. During construction, three hurricanes passed through the keys. Flagler traveled by this railcar in 1912 along the Overseas Railway to Key West to celebrate the completion of the FEC Railway to Key West, a phenomenal engineering feat. 1912 Flagler rides the first train over the Over-sea Railroad to Key West. Privacy Statement. Students will understand that Henry Flagler’s development of the East Coast Railroad was a significant economic and tourism contribution to the history of Florida. Called the 8th wonder of the world, this amazing ribbon of steel and concrete forever changed the history of the Florida Keys and linked the mainland of Florida to Key West. The Plant system of railroads helped to create modern Florida. Our main priority is the safety of our guests and staff. Flagler is second from the right on his left is William D. … All Rights Reserved. Building this rail is only considered second to building the Panama Canal at that time. The railroad down the entire Florida Keys to Key West was a monumental task. In July, the rail line to Homestead is completed. In May, the United States formally acquires the Panama Canal Zone. Both before and after Flagler’s railroad was partially destroyed by the “Storm of the Century” in 1935, tens of millions of Keys visitors have traveled along the railroad’s route … Along the route, the railroad visionary built a series of luxury hotels to accommodate train passengers. When Henry B. The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail is now a multi-use trail with a rich history. Before his death in 1899, Plant helped to develop Florida with railways, steamships, and luxury hotels. The Flagler Trail is located along an abandoned railroad known as the Okeechobee Branch of the Florida East Coast Railway that later came to be known as State Road 13. It is named for oil tycoon and Florida railroad developer Henry Morrison Flagler. In August of 2004, the remaining 20 historic Railroad Bridges and the Overseas Highway were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, exhibiting and operating historic railroad equipment. Work on the line started in 1905 and it operated from 1912 to 1935, when it was partially destroyed by the Labor Day Hurricane. Flagler kept attorneys assigned to assist the Dr. Henry Perrine heirs for the 36 square mile southeast land claim from Congress. Over time the island has become known simply as Monument Island in deference to the 110-foot obelisk monument to Flagler. The Florida East Coast Railway (reporting mark FEC) is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. This service is a partnership between Florida Virtual Campus, Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative and Florida Gulf Coast University Library. View details about online payments, park and campground closures, park programs/events and facial coverings. On January 22, 1912, Henry Flagler was greeted by thousands of well-wishers. With the addition of these three railroads, by spring 1889 Flagler's system offered service from Jacksonville to Daytona. Flagler’s hotels and railroad established Palm Beach as a winter resort for the wealthy members of American society. By 1821, Florida was named a United States Territory, and in 1845 it became a state. Florida East Coast Railway, Key West Extension. Miami was the next destination reached, but Flagler didn't stop there. Their domain contained more than just railroad track - they built hotels, roads, and villages. A map of the Florida East Coast Railway, also known as the Flagler system. See more photos from Flagler Trail South. Trail Location The Lehigh Trail is located in Flagler County on approximately eight miles of abandoned railroad corridor, comprising 194.95 acres. The Overseas Railroad (also known as Florida Overseas Railroad, the Overseas Extension, and Flagler's Folly) was an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city located 128 miles (206 km) beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. In 1979 the third longest historic railroad bridges were listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Long Key Channel, Knight’s Key (7 Mile) and Bahia Honda Channel. Work on the line started in 1905; the railroad operated from 1912 to 1935. The railroad arrived at Miami in 1896, completing a 500-mile (800-km) line that ran south from the neighboring state of Georgia through Jacksonville and the resorts Flagler had built. The process to convert the railroad into highway had already begun. Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. FSP.Feedback@FloridaDEP.gov, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Flagler soon purchased three more railroads: the St. John's Railway, the St. Augustine and Palatka Railway, and the St. Johns and Halifax Railroad so that he could provide extended rail service on standard gauge tracks. … 1925 The Breakers burns for a second time and is re-built for a second time and opens the following year. It is the exclusive rail provider for PortMiami, Port Everglades and Port of Palm Beach. We will continue to review operations on a daily basis and make additional operational changes as may be deemed necessary for protection of public health. After a visit to the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum to see Florida’s railroad history from the beginning, you can head south to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami to continue the story. If you lay a scaled 36 mile square piece of paper on a map of south east Dade County, a south bound railroad must traverse within the boundaries of the Perrine Grant. Oil magnate Henry Flagler took over the Florida East Coast Railway and began developing industry, resorts, and communities along the East Coast, as well as adding the Key West extension to the line. In 1938 the Overseas Highway opened. In the Florida Keys, there is no name more famous than the iconoclastic Henry Flagler who dreamed and built the world famous Overseas Railroad in the early 1900’s. He knew this would not be an easy feat and was told by many engineers that it could not be done. A businessman from New York, Henry Flagler was instrumental in the development of Florida into the state it is today. Flagler was not content to rest by the time his railroad had reached Miami in 1896. The Florida Keys would not be the vacation destination they are today if it weren’t for the vision of Henry Flagler. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, he built a railroad that extended from Jacksonville to Miami – called the Florida East Coast Railway – to link the northern and southern halves of the state. We learned about Flagler and his involvement with Standard Oil and his obsession with building a rail connection to Key West. Henry Flagler intended his next expansion, West Palm Beach, to be the end of his railroad system, but during 1894 and 1895, severe freezes hit the area. Florida State Parks will follow local orders requiring facial coverings or masks to provide for staff and visitor safety. Following the historic route of Henry Flagler’s spur railroad from the Florida East Coast Railway to his lands in Chuluota, the southern portion of the Flagler Trail provides a sometimes rugged, sometimes gentle ride between Geneva and Chuluota through Geneva Wilderness and Little-Big Econ State Forest. 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