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iron straps on the rails were sometimes fastened only in the middle, so that both ends of the strap curled up. At one point a forest fire had set the ties on fire for a distance of two miles (3.2 km), which the train nevertheless proceeded across. When the slave driving the train was asked why he did not try to fight the fire, he replied that he was not a fireman. The passenger train was delayed because a freight train had derailed, and the passengers had to help place the freight cars on the track again. As there was no way for the passenger train to pass the freight train, it was further delayed by the slow speed at which the freight train moved. The traveler noted that delays of this sort occurred almost every day.
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passengers were carried in 1838. Freight trains of five to eight cars also ran in each direction once a day. The freight trains were pulled by six horses or mules at a speed of 2.5 miles per hour (4.0 km/h). Most of the freight carried from
Tallahassee to the seaports was cotton, about 14,000 bales of cotton (a bale weighed 400 to 500 pounds (180 to 230 kg)) out of 8,000 short tons (7,300 t) carried in 1838. About 5,000 short tons (4,500 t) of goods were carried from the seaports to Tallahassee that year. The freight charge for a bale of cotton was 75 cents.
147:, who owned two plantations in Leon County, became president and chief stockholder of the company. The Territorial government granted 500,000 acres (200,000 ha) of land to the railroad company. As part of the proposed route crossed land still held by the Federal government, Call petitioned the U.S. Congress to grant the railroad a 200-foot (61 m) wide right-of-way, and 100 acres (40 ha) in St. Marks. Congress granted a 60-foot (18 m) wide right of way, and just 20 acres (8.1 ha) at the junction of the St. Marks and
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203:, visited Middle Florida from November 1837 until March 1838. While admitting that the railroad was "very useful" because of the near impossibility of transporting cotton by horse-drawn wagon across the sandy soil from Tallahassee to the St. Marks River, he called the railroad "the very worst that has yet been built in the entire world", with such poor construction that it had proven impossible to operate locomotives on the track.
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Marks River and a little nearer to the mouth of the river. Siting the terminal of the railroad on the territorial grant land gave the company more room for its terminal facilities, and full control of the transfer of goods between the railroad and ships. Starting in 1838, the railroad company laid out and sold lots in Port Leon. The residents of
95:, was one of the first two railroads in Florida, starting operations in 1836 or 1837. It did not successfully use steam locomotives until 1855, with trains being pulled by mules for more than 20 years. The principal source of traffic on the railroad for many years was carrying cotton bales from Tallahassee to seaports on the
333:) a few miles upstream from Newport. News of the Federal landings at St. Marks had reached Tallahassee the night of March 4. Various Confederate troops were dispatched to bolster the defence of the area. Confederate reinforcements, including elements of the Second Florida Cavalry, militia from Leon and
211:
The initial terminal for the railroad was St. Marks. The
Federal government had only granted 20 acres (8.1 ha) at St. Marks to the railroad, instead of the 100 acres (40 ha) it had requested. The land grant from the Territory of Florida included a larger area across (to the east of) the St.
257:
reported the purchase of one locomotive in
December, 1837), but could not use them because of the poor condition of the track. As of 1839, besides the two unused locomotives, the railroad owned three passenger cars (the first of which could hold only eight passengers), 45 freight cars, 35 horses and
240:
struck Port Leon in
September of that year. The hurricane was accompanied by a storm surge of 7 to 10 feet (2.1 to 3.0 m). While only one person was killed, every structure in the town was destroyed or severely damaged. The bridge across the St. Marks River was carried upstream past the town of
195:
spaced at intervals of six to seven feet (1.8 to 2.1 m). Most of the route was over very flat, forested land. Drainage was poor, and rain often washed the sand from under the tracks, throwing them out of alignment. This left the track in poor condition, with high maintenance costs. (A traveler
269:
The condition of the railroad remained poor throughout the almost 20 years that the original owners of the
Tallahassee Railroad operated the line. A traveler who was a passenger on the railroad in 1855 was unhappy with his journey. He noted that rails and ties were sometimes missing, and that the
265:
Daily passenger service in each direction was provided with a single car pulled by two horses. The horses were changed at the half-way mark, and the one-way trip took two-and-a-half hours at a speed of about 9 miles per hour (14 km/h). Passenger fare was $ 1.50 per passenger, and some 4,000
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to Port Leon. The railroad reached Port Leon in 1839. The town had quickly grown to a population of about 450, and was incorporated in 1841. Yellow fever struck the town in 1841, killing 139 residents. About 200 residents were still in Port Leon in early 1843 when it was made the county seat of
409:
The
Seaboard Air Line Railway (SAL) had ceased operating over the last two miles (3.2 km) of the St. Marks branch (the old Tallahassee Railroad) leading into St. Marks in 1932. A petition by the SAL to resume service to those two miles (3.2 km) to the end of the line in St. Marks was
139:
authorized the Leon Rail-Way
Company in 1831 to build a railroad from Tallahassee to the St. Marks River. When that company failed to organize, the Legislative Council then authorized the Leon Railroad Company, which forfeited its charter after it was unable to raise the required capital.
365:, in a fraudulent transaction, purchased the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad for $ 1,220,000, and the Tallahassee Railroad for $ 195,000. The two railroads were then merged into a new company, called the Tallahassee Railroad. That company was in turn incorporated into the
174:
Construction of the railroad began in 1834 from
Tallahassee, and had reached St. Marks, a distance of 22 miles (35 km), by 1836 or 1837 (sources differ on the year operations began). By 1839, the railroad was extended two miles (3.2 km) south to
131:", which held many plantations producing cotton and tobacco. Export of cotton from the region was difficult. Cotton bales were brought into Tallahassee, from which they were carried in wagons across the deep sand of the
349:, as that was closer to the natural bridge than Newport. Newton's forces reached the natural bridge on March 6, only to find it defended by Confederate troops. Confederate forces held the crossing in the
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673:
419:
325:("Okloknee" on the map), and St. Marks rivers, to seize the towns of Newport and St. Marks, and to destroy the Tallahassee Railroad. The main force under Brigadier General
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steam locomotives. In 1857, the president of the
Pensacola and Georgia Railroad declared that the Tallahassee Railroad was "one of the best paying roads in the country".
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418:(SAL's successor) in 1983, and the State of Florida purchased the abandoned right-of-way in 1984. Sixteen miles (26 km) of that right-of-way has since become the
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arrived at
Newport to find that the bridge across the St. Marks River had been burned. General Newton decided to cross the St. Marks on the natural bridge (where the
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171:. Gerstner had been commissioned by the Russian government to write a comprehensive report on railroads in the United States. He visited Middle Florida in 1839.
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on the railroad in 1855 reported being told that the rails had initially been laid directly on the sand without ties to hold the rails in alignment.)
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mules, and 23 slaves. The railroad also owned a sawmill, 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of woodlands, a 1,000-acre (400 ha) plantation for raising
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Army and Navy mounted a raid on the area around St. Marks in March 1865 as part of an attempt to cut off peninsular Florida from the rest of the
245:. The railroad company quickly repaired its line into St. Marks, and made it the new shipping terminal for the line. Port Leon then faded away.
378:
123:
rivers. In the 1830s Middle Florida was the most populous and prosperous part of Florida. The heart of Middle Florida and the adjacent part of
769:
Castelnau, Comte de; Seymour, Arthur R.; Boyd, Mark F. (January 1948). "Essay on Middle Florida, 1837-1838 (Essai sur la Florida du Milieu)".
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leased the Florida Central and Peninsular Railway in 1900, and purchased it in 1903. The Tallahassee to St. Marks line would be known as the
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St. Marks. The town of St. Marks also suffered damage from the storm. Many residents of Port Leon moved to a new town north of St. Marks,
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Much of what is now known about the construction of the Tallahassee Railroad was recorded by the German Bohemian railroad expert,
618:
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1038:
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282:. The following year, the line was completely rebuilt, with iron rails replacing the wood rails, and the introduction of two
279:
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for the horses and mules, and the town of Port Leon. Slaves performed most of the work on the railroad and the plantation.
370:
310:
1040:
Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Reports and Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States
952:
Boyd, Mark F. (October 1950). "The Joint Operations of the Federal Army and Navy near St. Marks, Florida, March, 1865".
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59:
313:. Seamen and soldiers were landed at various points on Apalachee Bay in an attempt to capture or burn bridges over the
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Trains on the railroad were pulled by horses or mules for many years. The company had purchased two locomotives (the
1098:
Fenlon, Paul E. (April 1954). "The Notorious Swepson-Littlefield Fraud: Railroad Financing in Florida, 1868–1871".
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216:, a port town up the St. Marks River from the port of St. Marks, which had been bypassed by the railroad, moved
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The Tallahassee Railroad Company was incorporated in 1834 as authorized by an act of the Legislative Council.
187:(eight-foot (2.4 m) long timbers with a one-half-inch (13 mm) thick strap of iron on top), using a
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in 1939. The St. Marks branch remained in use through the 1960s. The line was officially abandoned by the
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341:, traveled down the Tallahassee Railroad the night of March 5 and into March 6, detraining at Hodgsons (
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When it began selling lots at Port Leon, the railroad company had claimed that site was the highest on
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1123:. Bulletin. Vol. 86 (Reprint ed.). Boston: The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society.
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Some sources state that the Tallahassee Railroad was the first operational railroad in Florida. The
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The last remaining rails of the Tallahassee Railroad in a parking lot in southern Tallahassee
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purchased the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad and, in 1882, merged it into the
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In 1855, Richard Keith Call sold his majority interest in the Tallahassee Railroad to the
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Tallahassee sat in "Middle Florida", the part of the Territory of Florida between the
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The Red Hills Region of Florida and Georgia and Woodville Karst Plain to the south
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in 1888, and again, in 1893, as the Florida Central and Peninsular Railway. The
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163:
Drawing of the Tallahassee Railroad depot in 1838 by Francis, Comte de Castelnau
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377:. The Florida Central and Western Railroad was in turned merged into the
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1002:
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Jacksonville Division Timetable (1969)
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Seaboard Air Line Railroad North Florida Division Timetable (1949)
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191:(distance between rails) of five feet (1,524 mm) laid on
1013:"Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail History"
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across the St. Marks River. The line was constructed using
887:
885:
1037:
Commission, United States Interstate Commerce (1939).
1140:. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida.
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Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail
236:apparently had not seriously flooded the site. The
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65:
51:
43:
33:
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1067:"Florida Railroad: Passenger Stations & Stops"
1074:Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists
393:under the Seaboard Air Line and its successors.
137:Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida
1213:Predecessors of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
476:Carrabelle, Tallahassee & Georgia Railroad
225:, which was newly created out of Leon County.
1121:The Story of the Florida Railroads: 1834–1903
345:) distillery, in the vicinity of what is now
8:
797:"Outlines of Streets Show Site of Port Leon"
19:
1162:Interactive map of the Tallahassee Railroad
367:Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad
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381:in 1884, which was re-incorporated as the
1248:American companies disestablished in 1870
1243:1834 establishments in Florida Territory
1228:5 ft gauge railways in the United States
1223:Railway companies disestablished in 1870
1043:. L.K. Strouse – via Google Books.
960:(2): 99–100, 102–103, 105–106, 108–110.
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1138:A Journey into Florida Railroad History
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383:Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad
301:Map of the Tallahassee Railroad in 1868
1238:American companies established in 1834
1208:Transportation in Tallahassee, Florida
1198:Transportation in Leon County, Florida
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1218:Railway companies established in 1834
135:to ports on the St. Marks River. The
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375:Florida Central and Western Railroad
238:Port Leon, Florida Hurricane of 1843
1119:Pettengill, George W. Jr. (1998) .
674:Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Railroad
353:, and the Federal troops withdrew.
14:
1203:Florida in the American Civil War
981:, pp. 231, 238–241, 243–245.
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1100:The Florida Historical Quarterly
954:The Florida Historical Quarterly
771:The Florida Historical Quarterly
676:began operations in March, 1836.
1233:History of Tallahassee, Florida
232:, above the highest tides. The
201:Francis de Laporte de Castelnau
462:Pensacola and Georgia Railroad
412:Interstate Commerce Commission
337:counties, and cadets from the
331:river went briefly underground
280:Pensacola and Georgia Railroad
1:
369:, which was created in 1869.
833:St. Marks Refuge Association
416:Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
60:Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
16:Historic railroad in Florida
234:Apalachee Bay Storm of 1837
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659:Tallahassee is located in
56:Seaboard Air Line Railroad
1193:Defunct Florida railroads
1136:Turner, Gregg M. (2008).
448:
387:Seaboard Air Line Railway
24:
351:Battle of Natural Bridge
293:Battle of Natural Bridge
169:Franz Anton von Gerstner
317:("Ocilla" on the map),
199:The French naturalist,
441:Connections and notes
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363:George William Swepson
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339:West Florida Seminary
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133:Woodville Karst Plain
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801:Tallahassee Democrat
255:Tallahassee Floridan
93:Tallahassee, Florida
89:Tallahassee Railroad
20:Tallahassee Railroad
497:St. Marks Junction
391:Wakulla Subdivision
91:, headquartered in
21:
942:, pp. 36, 64.
855:, pp. 32, 34.
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145:Richard Keith Call
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44:Dates of operation
1147:978-0-8130-4194-0
1056:, pp. 36–37.
928:Pettengill (1998)
918:, pp. 14–15.
916:Pettengill (1998)
904:Pettengill (1998)
894:, pp. 34–35.
879:, pp. 13–14.
877:Pettengill (1998)
759:, pp. 33–34.
745:Pettengill (1998)
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699:, pp. 29–31.
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155:Construction
142:
127:formed the "
114:
88:
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826:"Port Leon"
661:Leon County
572:Burnt Mill
450:Tallahassee
397:Abandonment
371:Edward Reed
327:John Newton
323:Ochlockonee
311:Confederacy
189:track gauge
1187:Categories
777:(3): 215.
638:St. Marks
630:SPA 820.2
615:SPA 817.5
603:SPA 815.7
591:SPA 814.5
579:SPA 812.1
567:SPA 811.3
555:SPA 809.4
548:Woodville
540:SPA 808.8
528:SPA 808.2
521:Lutterloh
516:SPA 805.6
504:SPA 803.3
494:SPA 802.2
446:SPA 799.3
343:turpentine
274:New owners
249:Operations
185:strap rail
181:drawbridge
1017:TrailLink
684:Citations
634:St. Marks
544:Woodville
432:Milepost
347:Woodville
207:Port Leon
177:Port Leon
75:5 ft
66:Technical
52:Successor
1129:43517668
1112:30139716
966:30138812
783:30139699
623:Newport
596:Wakulla
480:GF&A
466:FC&P
438:Station
218:en masse
214:Magnolia
151:rivers.
121:Suwannee
29:Overview
1092:Sources
1022:9 March
619:Newport
584:Vereen
533:Rhodes
509:Belair
357:Mergers
335:Gadsden
315:Aucilla
284:Baldwin
243:Newport
149:Wakulla
125:Georgia
1144:
1127:
1110:
1079:5 June
964:
781:
608:Burns
560:Moody
260:fodder
103:Origin
34:Locale
1125:JSTOR
1108:JSTOR
1070:(PDF)
962:JSTOR
829:(PDF)
779:JSTOR
647:Notes
307:Union
287:4-4-0
1142:ISBN
1081:2020
1024:2021
840:2020
809:2020
319:East
305:The
193:ties
119:and
87:The
484:SAL
470:SAL
1189::
1104:32
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
