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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South Florida Railroad
The South Florida Railroad was incorporated on October 16, 1878, by E. W. Henck, E.F. Crafts, H. Mercer, and Dr. C.C. Haskell, all of Orange County, Florida. These men hired F. C. Tucker as chief engineer, and he located a line running from Lake Monroe (on the St. Johns River) at Sanford to Orlando. The road was projected to run down the state to Charlotte Harbor on the Gulf of Mexico. The South Florida RR was having trouble raising money, but when Mr. Henck obtained the charter of the defunct LM&O, the project could go forward. E.W. Henck had a…
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South Florida Railroad
The South Florida Railroad was incorporated on October 16, 1878, by E. W. Henck, E.F. Crafts, H. Mercer, and Dr. C.C. Haskell, all of Orange County, Florida. These men hired F. C. Tucker as chief engineer, and he located a line running from Lake Monroe (on the St. Johns River) at Sanford to Orlando. The road was projected to run down the state to Charlotte Harbor on the Gulf of Mexico. The South Florida RR was having trouble raising money, but the project progressed when Mr. Henck obtained the defunct LM&O charter. E.W. Henck had a particular reason for wanting…
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Longwood ACL Train Depot
This old train depot was located near the southeast intersection of Church Street and 427, immediately behind the Henck-Tinker block (former bank building, now a bar). According to sources, it was first constructed around 1900. However, it looks very similar to the depot in the 1885 aerial drawing of Longwood, so one has to wonder if it was built closer to 1880 (when the rail line first connected Sanford and Orlando via Longwood). To be clear, the old Longwood train depot still exists, but it’s now located a few hours away. In 1965, the depot was given to a train…
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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…