High Springs Railroad Depot

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Around 1895 railroad production was in boom within the area of Fort White, High Springs, and Alachua. The Plant Railroad System chose High Springs to be their divisional headquarters. This brought an abundance of opportunity to the area and began the development of the railroad system in High Springs as well as the surrounding area. This building is the last remaining piece of the railroad area in High Springs. The building was built in 1910 and utilized as a passenger depot. The site still stands and citizens are welcomed to view and take pictures near the one piece of real railroad history that started everything within the town many years ago. The railroad system no longer frequents this area however the rich history of settling High Springs is still celebrated. Celebrations of High Springs frequently take place with this building in the background or the festivals surrounding it as homage to the beginnings.

Images

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

High Springs, Florida has a rich history of settlement and was an industrious area at it's beginning. The small town was a crossroads for many settlers and Native Americans, which is why the idea of the railroad depot took place. With a town rich in phosphate and able bodied men willing to work, the structure of the surroundings soon began to take shape. With any new area development, there is sure to be issues among settlers. As High Spring began to settle, it was cattle drivers who began the skeleton of the town. History can be seen unfolding at the local Annual Pioneer Days Festival in the area with reenactments of a famous gun fight.

The development of a railroad system to connect cities was an essential part of the town's upbringing. Being that Plant Railroad System chose this area to be the divisional headquarters, this allowed for many jobs to be created within the railroad system. Men got to work to develop the area to assist the railroad system in connecting the lines to go to and from High Springs. The area held steam engines and steam cars that required maintenance, workshops were build, and railyards were utilized for parts and storage. There was also a roundhouse, which is a building that is used for servicing trains. All of this took up around 50 acres. All of the outbuildings and surrounding areas required skilled laborers to function properly. Men took great pride in the work they were doing to connect the lines and earn a living to support their families.

Because of Plant Railroad System, there was a sort of economic boom that happened in High Springs. With the money that was put into the economic growth, the town was able to become incorporated and have things such as a school, hospital, and even an opera house. This brought people from local cities, such as Lake City, which at the time was named "Alligator".

Sources

Railroading in High Springs Historical Marker, Explore Historic Alachua County. Accessed January 30th 2021. http://www.explorehistoricalachuacounty.com/location/railroading-in-high-springs-historical-marker/.

This website gives an inside look at the surrounding areas of High Springs, Florida. There are many historical sites in the area that are mentioned on this page. Links are given to each of the sites with a detailed synopsis of the area and important events that took place in creating these sites. Explore Historical Alachua County has a similar feel to the CLIO website as it contains a map and information about areas, however the site is specific to Alachua County. You can find links to further information in the "About" section which shows Florida specific information and National Registry information.

July, David. The High Springs Railroad, Mount Sutro- An Electric Periodical. April 27th 2014. Accessed January 30th 2021. https://mountsutro.org/2014/04/27/1136/.

This website is a personal page that gives detailed photos of the current state of the High Springs Railroad Depot. There are short descriptions above the photos in which you can find out what the photo depicts and snippets of history. David July gives real-time photo documentation of the depot as well as the surrounding area and state of affairs currently. This website gives visual insight into buildings still left standing and delves into the imagination of what took place many years ago in that area.

About, High Springs Museum. Accessed March 2nd 2021. http://www.highspringsmuseum.org/about.html.

This source gives insight into the History of High Springs as well as the current affairs of the small town. There are many links to access information on this site. From clicking through the links you can learn the current members who run the city. There is a link that will give you access to information regarding the individuals who run the website and who are members of the local history chapter, maintaining relevant information for community access. There is also a membership link allowing citizens to join the chapter or donate money to keep certain areas of the city maintained for public enjoyment. Links to other sites and the city's Facebook page are available for access through this site as well.