Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot
Introduction
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Built in 1928, the former Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot is now home to a museum and antique mall.
Backstory and Context
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Punta Gorda Depot was the third train station built in the city; the first was erected in 1886 and the second in 1897. It features a curved parapet and arches on the northern end, a two-story tower, and a clay barrel tile roof. In addition to its separate "white" and "colored" entrances, the depot also had segregated waiting rooms, bathrooms, and ticket windows. Its economic impact on the community was significant as it not only facilitated freight transportation but also enabled fishermen to ship their catches to northern markets. Other goods shipped from the depot included pineapples, propane, turpentine, and even ice from the local icehouse.
The depot was built towards the end of the Florida land boom of the 1920s. Its use started to decline as the Great Depression took its toll on the community and the population decreased by a thousand people in the 1930s. Nevertheless, passenger service continued until 1971 and freight service ended some time later. A philanthropist by the name of Fred Babcock bought the depot with the intention of converting it into a restaurant. This plan fell through and he donated it to the Punta Gorda Historical Society. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Sources
"Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot." University of Central Florida. Accessed March 15, 2021. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/railroaddepots/puntagorda.
Welcher, Vicki L. "Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.
December 12, 1990. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_FL/90001797.pdf.
Winchester, Jackie. "Punta Gorda Train Depot latest topic in debate over country’s racial history." WINK News. June 15, 2020. Last Updated June 17, 2020. https://www.winknews.com/2020/06/15/punta-gorda-train-depot-latest-topic-in-debate-over-countrys-racial-history.
All images via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Punta_Gorda_Atlantic_Coast_Line_Depot