I am a member of the Levy County Archives Committee and we are assembling data on the Florida Railroad which ran from Fernandina through Balwin and Gainesville to Ceday Key, FL. There was also a branch off of the mainline which ran from Archer to Tampa, both of these lines passing through Levy County. Many of the depots/stations on the line running through Levy County are no longer existing towns, but they had historical meaning in times past. We are seeking these names for inclusion on a Chapter of "Search For Yesterday, A History of Levy County" which has been published by the Levy County Archives Comm. since 1977. Over time the names and/or exact spelling of many of these stations has been lost and I thought a map of the railroad lines through Levy County would be a good place to look. Any help/direction will be appreciated.

-- Harry Eugene (Gene) Osteen (heosteen@svic.net), March 04, 2002

Answers

An excellent map source for station locations between Cedar Key and Gainesville is The Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. This atlas depicts the locations of the following stations, beginning at Cedar Key: Sumner, Rosewood, Ellzey,Otter Creek, Lennon, Bronson, Meredith, Archer, Palmer, Kanapaha, Arredondo, and Hammock Ridge. The Atlas is available through several sources, including Trains Magazine (Milwaukee, WI.) and Green Frog Productions (Atlanta, GA.) I hoe this information will be of help to you in your efforts. Good Luck! Aaron Dowling

-- Aaron Dowling (aarondowling@cfl.rr.com), August 24, 2002.

Thank you each one ever so much. Tom Underwood has provided me with the exact information I was seeking. Also, I have wanted to find the date-time frame when the line from Cedar Key to Archer had been abandoned, and Tom provided me with that as well.

-- Harry Eugene (Gene) Osteen (heosteen@svic.net), March 06, 2002.

The SAL line from Archer to Cedar Key was opened in 1860-1861 by the Florida RR. During the War of Southern Independence, the Cedar Key end of the line was occupied by Union troops. After the war, until about 1870, the line was not operated, at least for passenger service. Through various subsquent managements the line became part of the SAL. It was abandoned sometime between December 1931 and February 1933, still providing passenger service at the end. Unless otherwise shown, the following list of stations on the line shows passenger train stops in use during the entire life of the line.

28.4 Archer, FL, 32.1 Venables(from c.1896. Originally called Albion 'til sometime between 1906 & 1920), 34.6 Meridiths(from c.1915 on.), 37.7 Bronson, 40.2 Otella(c.1922-1926 only), 43.7 Lennon(from c.1915 on.), 49.5 Otter Creek, 51.1 Ellzey(from c.1890 on.), mp? Emett(only shown c.1930-abandonment), 59.3 Wylly(from c.1915 on.), 60.7 Rosewood(originally called Palmetto from 1860 to c.1876), 63.8 Sumner(from c.1915 on.), 68.0 Lukens(c.195-1924 only) and 70.9 Cedar Key, FL.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), March 05, 2002.

Much of the Seaboard depot, (Cedar Key Line) is still standing at Otter Creek... Was converted to a store in the 50's now used as a house! Just southeast of the old Otter Creek post office...

Steve Manuel Brooksville

-- Steve Manuel (wwjb@innet.com), March 04, 2002.

The library at U. of Texas has an extensive map collection, some of which is available at www.lib.utexas. In the 'web-available' collection there is an 1895 map of Florida. It shows a rr line running from Cedar Keys generally northeasterly through Sumner, Rosewood, Ellzey, Otter Creek, Bronson, Merediths and Albion. Hope this is some help. David Harris

-- David Harris (harrida@auburn.edu), March 04, 2002.