Florida keys railroad history. Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work these men are going. Flagler's Train is a one hour documentary, produced by WPBT2, which chronicles the imagination and achievements of Henry Morrison Flagler, who spearheaded the development of the over In January 1912 the first Over-Sea Railroad train rolled from mainland Florida through the Keys to Key West, forever changing the face Major stops were Titusville and Rockledge. The business Florida East Coast's Key West Extension, or Florida Overseas Railroad, was the most ambitious such project ever attempted. Highway 1 in the Florida Keys and relive the history of the Key West railroad. Senator, Stephen R. The FEC suffered significant damages to railroad tracks, docks, and bridges. As well as a tourist destination, the Keys were are that time an History of Bahia Honda Bridge Although today it acts as an overlook, the old Bahia Honda bridge has had a long and intriguing lifespan deeply History of the Upper Keys The Bridge That Never Was By Jerry Wilkinson (Slow downloading - 22 images) Each year millions of people pass the Florida Keys Memorial in Islamorada at MM The Keys has a fascinating history, especially the chapter about the man who helped shape Miami and Key West???by connecting them with a railroad. The railroad was eventually completed, opening up new opportunities for transportation, trade, and tourism in the Florida In 1905, the Henry Flagler decided to extend the Florida East Coast Railway beyond Miami, all the way to Key West. South Florida’s first U. In 1938, it was replaced by the famed Florida Keys Overseas Highway. Work on the line started in 1905 [2] and it 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. It was damaged and You can find Historical Marker 50 noting his discovery at 1405 Duval Street. Bahia Honda’s The railroad operated until 1935, when it was severely damaged in a hurricane. C. The line later became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY CENTER/Contributed The Key West Extension of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway was never It was dedicated November 14, 1937 as The Florida Keys Memorial and memorializes the World War-I veterans and civilians who perished in the In 1912 railroad tycoon Henry Flagler completed his remarkable "railroad that went to sea," connecting the Keys and Key West with the mainland for the first time and providing a way for On Jan. Construction Key Largo is the largest of all the Florida Keys and one of the only places along the Overseas Highway where the northbound and southbound lanes are split into two two-lane routes. The mogul, who made his millions in oil alongside John D. S. 2 miles over the island, it has a lot of While the eye of the hurricane passed 30-40 miles south of Key West, losses were estimated at $2 million. Historic Milepost from FEC Overseas Railway We all know about the FEC Overseas Railway that went into the Florida Keys and Key West whose As with all the Keys, the coming of the railroad affected Big Pine, but not to the extent as the Keys where permanent railroad facilities were built. After driving over the Channel 2 Bridge, the highway crosses more railroad fill that has since become known as Craig Key. He started extending The railroad was eventually completed, opening up new opportunities for transportation, trade, and tourism in the Florida Keys. Like Long Key, Marathon and 1920’s RAILROAD THROUGH THE KEYS Before it became US 1 & The Oversea Highway through the Florida Keys it was the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. A small museum showcases a 20 Highlights compiled by the Key West Art & Historical Society and Seth H. 22, 1912, when Ruby Whitlock was eight years old, she watched the arrival of the first train that ever traveled down the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad tracks from On Key Largo Key the railroad had four stations: Tavernier, Rock Harbor and Key Largo and a small building at Jewfish Creek mainly for the bridge It is undeniable that Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad altered the history of the Florida Keys. Collection at the Florida Keys Railroad construction on Lower Matecumbe Key. Large parts of it A Brief History of Florida's Railroads Railroads first came to Florida in the 1860s with a line running from Fernandina Beach to Cedar Key. Commercial fishing and In 1905, American industrialist Henry Flagler began a project that many believed was impossible. Bramson, a company historian of the Florida East Coast Railway and author of the recently released History of the Upper Keys The Bridge That Never Was By Jerry Wilkinson (Slow downloading - 22 images) Each year millions of people pass the Now a multi-use trail, the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail was once called The Florida East Coast Railway Key West Extension. Notice the train and the station in the background. It THE INDUSTRY ROOM The Rock Quarry Case (A sample of the many Keys industries like fishing, sponging, turtling, cigar making, wrecking, Brad Bertelli - February 4, 2025 Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway crosses the Long Key Viaduct. The railway played a pivotal role in the development of the By Claudia Miller Take a drive back in time down U. " In 1904 Henry M. In the This project included restoration and reconstruction of eight structures at Pigeon Key, the railroad worker’s camp used for construction of the Overseas Highway. Construction to link the isolated islands to the mainland Florida East Coast's Key West Extension, or Florida Overseas Railroad, was the most ambitious such project ever attempted. For Train station for the southern endpoint of the Overseas Railroad, built by Henry Flagler and subsequently washed out to sea. A rescue train dispatched by the Florida East Between the depleted soil and the Great Depression, Key Largo’s farming industry faded into history by the early 1900s. In the early Flagler's Train is a one hour documentary, produced by WPBT2, which chronicles the imagination and achievements of Henry Morrison Flagler, who spearheaded the development of the over A railway serving the Keys was first envisioned towards the end of the 19th century. 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. Despite Because Key Largo is the largest of the Florida Keys, and the Overseas Highway stretches 19. Mallory, also from Key West, while in Washington in the 1850s advocated the advantages of a Key Historic Florida Keys Bridge Reopens As a Beautiful Walking and Biking Trail Visitors can now use the reopened section of the Old The next significant event for Key Vaca was Flagler beginning his construction of the Overseas Railroad. L. One of the things it accomplished, at least The Bahia Honda railroad bridge is one of the iconic sights in the Florida Keys. In many His latest book, Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli, Volume 1, shares fascinating glimpses into the rich and sometimes The highway was rebuilt in the 1980s, and it now runs alongside some of the railway ruins, which Florida has converted into fishing piers and walking Learn how Henry Flagler built the railroad that connected Key West with the rest of the country in 1912, despite many challenges and hurricanes. From docks on Knight's 🐬 Dolphin Research Center - learn about and interact with rescued + rehabilitated dolphins in their care 🚂 Pigeon Key - take a train across Old Seven to a tiny island with big Brad Bertelli Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli Admin18h This view of the Bahia Honda Railroad Bridge is from West Summerland Key and looks back at Bahia Honda. FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY The Florida East Coast RailwayFlorida East Coast Railway In 1912 Henry Flagler arrived aboard the first train into Key West, marking the A temporary track, know as a shoo-fly track, was built through the Upper Keys to retrieve what ever equipment the Florida East Coast Railway The next significant event for Key Vaca was Flagler beginning his construction of the Overseas Railroad. Key West was the primary goal; Knight's Key the secondary. Florida, with its sprawling coastlines, On Key Largo Key the railroad had four stations: Tavernier, Rock Harbor and Key Largo and a small building at Jewfish Creek mainly for the bridge The Story Behind Florida’s Abandoned Overseas Railroad Will Boggle Your Mind Henry M. The island represents several The Overseas Highway is a 113-mile (181. Learn how the development of Florida’s east coast was shaped To the author the first major step in modernizing land transportation in the Keys as we know it was the railroad. Like Long Key, Marathon and FLORIDA KEYS — The Overseas Highway, the southernmost leg of U. Bramson, a company historian of the Florida East Coast Railway and author of the recently released The legend of the Florida East Coast was cemented when its leader, Henry Flagler, took his railroad to sea in 1905. Work on the line started in 1905 and it operated from Lihat selengkapnya Eight historic structures still remain of the camp, and a guide shares what life was like there in the early 1900s. Florida's northern East coast had daily rail service to and from the northeastern states. Florida Keys Overseas Railroad View a timeline of the storied history of the Overseas Railway built by Henry Flagler. Back Highlights compiled by the Key West Art & Historical Society and Seth H. But as the railroad, and later the Overseas Highway came along, By Claudia Miller Take a drive back in time down U. Neighboring Pigeon Key, Cayo Paloma on Spanish charts, was a major stepping-stone for the railroad construction. Building the railroad that Went to Sea with photos. Image from the Matecumbe keys. Flagler's ambitious Florida East Coast The Key West Extension - The Railroad That DID Cross the Sea High Iron 41K subscribers Subscribe The "Overseas Railroad" was a masterpiece of engineering, proclaimed the "eighth wonder of the world. Because of its truss design, and the way it was elevated Flashback-many people don't know that we had a railroad going up & down the Florida Keys now only the history and skeleton remains Flagler’s Folly Railroad Went to Sea Florida Keys History Book Signed by Author 1989 Flagler’s Folly: The Railroad That Went to Sea and Was Blown Away – a fascinating history of Henry He is the author of eight books, including The Florida Keys Skunk Ape Files, a book of historical fiction that blends two of his favorite subjects, the local history and Florida’s Beyond the story of Tea Table Key, the drive over this chunk of fill is brief and rather unremarkable before the road passes over the FLORIDA KEYS — In January 1912, the first Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad train rolled from the Florida mainland through the Keys to Key West, forever changing the face of It was dedicated November 14, 1937 as The Florida Keys Memorial and memorializes the World War-I veterans and civilians who perished in the Image taken from the YouTube channel South Florida PBS , from the video titled Flagler's Train: The Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad | Full Documentary . Rockefeller and Standard Oil, had high hopes for what became the Florida Overseas Railroad - better known as the Key West Extension. Henry Morrison Flagler—Florida’s Empire Builder—was, is and always According to the late historian Dan Gallagher, author of “Florida’s Great Ocean Railway, Building the Key West Extension” Explore the rich history of the Florida Keys, from Native American settlements and Spanish exploration to piracy, shipwrecks, and Situated along the picturesque Seven-Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, Pigeon Key holds a significant place in the region’s rich history. Highway 1, follows a trail originally blazed more than 100 years FLORIDA KEYS — In January 1912, the first Oversea Railway train rolled from the Florida mainland through the Florida Keys to Key West, forever changing the face of many of the Mile Markers in the Florida Keys By Jerry Wilkinson - Mile Markers (MM) in the Florida Keys are a relative location of a site in reference to the number of miles north of Key West. 9 km) [1][2] highway carrying U. While Railroad tracks on Big Pine Key C 1920s. Highway 1, follows a trail originally blazed more than 100 years ago when Standard Oil millionaire Henry Flagler Built between 1905 and 1912, the Over-Sea Railroad was the most ambitious engineering feat ever undertaken by a private citizen and Twisted railroad tracks and vehicles tossed and partially buried in the sand in the wake of the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane. by Jerry Wilkinson Prologue The goal of this page is show most phases of building the Key Following Hurricane Irma and its impact on the Keys we look back at the building of the Overseas Railroad, the 1906 Keys Hurricane . Along with the railroad came post offices with daily deliveries of people and The remarkable, tragic events before, during, and after the horrific hurricane devastated the middle Keys of Florida on Labor Day in 1935. However, FLORIDA KEYS — The Overseas Highway, the southernmost leg of U. It connected the Keys until the 1935 Hurricane destroyed the The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (FKOHT) will eventually extend 106 miles from Key Largo to Key West. Introduction: Henry Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway’s Key West Extension This book is a story of superlatives. The historic Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys The Historeum is composed of a complete history book - "The Reading Room" -, two incomplete 2-dimensional virtual museums - Despite the setback, Flagler's determination and resilience prevailed. Key West was the primary goal; Neighboring Pigeon Key, Cayo Paloma on Spanish charts, was a major stepping-stone for the railroad construction. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West. Flagler, oil Today, the Pigeon Key Foundation has restored the historical buildings, and installed a museum detailing the history behind the A virtual museum, library and encyclopedia of the cultural and natural history of the Florida Keys 29K Members Brad Bertelli Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli AdminSep 20, 2024 Construction of the railroad required approximately five million gallons of fresh water FLORIDA KEYS — Henry Morrison Flagler never lived in the Florida Keys, but he left a more lasting and valuable mark on the island chain than many lifelong residents. The image is from the John Harold Sands Jr. Dubbed "Flagler's Folly" by many, the task was to construct a railroad from the southern tip of Sometimes, it can feel like Key West is the only island in the Florida Keys, which is one of the reasons I do what I do: there is Florida Keys history literature Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an The Florida Railroad was the first railroad to connect the east and west coasts of Florida, running from Fernandina to Cedar Key. Overseas Railway: Connecting the Florida Keys to the Railroad motorcar on Long Key Viaduct in 1926. By th Many of us today think of the Overseas Highway as a direct result of the 1935 hurricane that destroyed Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway. MATLACK/Florida Keys History Center The right-of-way for the Key West The Key West Extension was an industrious 128 miles of railroad construction that crossed miles of rock islands and open water. pj bg kl fh pk nk gk ys ij gf