Florida Midland Railroad
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Longwood Narrowly Averted a Great Fire
Most cities during Florida’s wood-framed pioneer days experienced devastating fires. For example, the 1887 Great Sanford Fire destroyed most of the town’s earliest buildings. Oviedo’s struck in 1914. Thankfully, this never happened in Longwood, and because of this, there are many examples of pre-1900 buildings in the historic district. However, that fate was only narrowly avoided. On September 30, 1899, the townspeople of Longwood hurried to the scene of a blaze at the Florida Midland Railroad depot (north of The Shoppes at Longwood Station Plaza today). Sparks from a northbound freight train ignited the train platform. Since there was no…
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Florida Midland Railroad
Modern Remnants of the Florida Midland Railroad You may notice that West Florida Avenue is slightly odd through the historic district. It is placed at a half-block increment between Jessup Ave and Magnolia Ave. There are a few driveways off of it, and most homes and businesses’ backs face it instead. That’s because it was not originally a road but the right-of-way of the long-defunct Florida Midland Railroad. There is a tiny alley-like companion to this called East Florida Avenue on the east side of the tracks, behind some houses’ backyards. There is a small gap, and then its effective…