Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway Depot

Phosphate mining spurred the development of southwest Florida in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Phosphate is used in fertilizer and demand for it increased in this period. It was first found in 1881 along the lower Peace River but mining didn't begin until 1886 when the discovery was reported. Until the late 1890s, phosphate was shipped on barges down the Peace River but by then the amount of phosphate had increased significantly, which prompted the Florida legislature to incorporate the Alafia, Manatee and Gulf Railway Company (AM&R).

The AM&R was eventually bought out by the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway Depot, which was a subsidiary of a large company called the American Agricultural Chemical Company (AACC). By 1902, the AACC had come to dominate the Peace River Basin. During the next few years, the CH&N built a railroad to Boca Grande and later, as noted above, built the depot between 1910 and 1913. The AACC developed the city's deep-water port and, through another subsidiary called the Boca Grande Land Company, played a large role in developing the city itself. It also built the historic Gasparilla Inn & Club, which is located at 500 Palm Avenue.

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) bought the CH&N in 1928 and appears to have operated the depot for several decades. The rail line to Boca Grande was the only land transportation link to mainland Florida. In 1967, SAL merged with the Coast Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which prompted the consolidation and removal of rail lines. By then, phosphate was being shipped to a facility near Tampa and the port at Boca Grande was abandoned. As a result, the line was no longer needed and removed in the late 1970s. It appears that in the 1970s the depot was restored and started to be occupied by businesses. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

"Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway." Tampa Bay Trains. Accessed March 10, 2021. http://tampabaytrains.com/charlotteHarborNorthernRailway.htm.

"Mining for Phosphate." Boca Grande Historical Society. Accessed March 10, 2021. https://bocagrandehistoricalsociety.com/history-center/historical-overview/mining-for-phosphate/

Nolan, Terrence H. "Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. December 13, 1979. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_FL/79000676.pdf.

Turner, Gregg M. Images of America: Railroads of Southwest Florida. Chicago, IL: Arcadia Publishing, 1999.