Steamship at the South Florida Railroad Company Pier
Dublin Core
Title
Steamship at the South Florida Railroad Company Pier
Alternative Title
Steamship at Pier
Subject
Waterfront Districts
Lakes & ponds
Lake Monroe (Seminole County and Volusia County, Fla.)
Steamboat lines
Steamboats--Florida--St. Johns River--History
Water transportation
South Florida Railroad Company
Piers
Steamships
St. Johns River (Fla.)
South Florida Railroad
South Florida Railroad Company
Description
A steamship at the South Florida Railroad Company pier, which was built in 1880. The Lake Monroe and Orlando Railroad was organized in 1875. The charter planned to constructed a railroad from the St. Johns River port in Sanford south to Orlando. On October 16, 1878, the South Florida Railroad was incorporated but did not receive a charter until December 9, 1879, when it gained control over the Lake Monroe and Orlando Railroad charter. The first train on the new railroad ran between Sanford and Orlando on November 11, 1880. Henry Plant and his Plant System purchased three-fifths of the South Florida Railroad stock on May 4, 1883 and soon began laying tracks towards Tampa, whose railroad station opened on December 10, 1883. In 1893, the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, which was also a part of the Plant System, acquired the South Florida Railroad. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) acquired the entire Plant System in 1902. In 1967, the ACL merged with the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which is now operated by CSX.
By the mid-1880s, Sanford, Florida had become a major distribution center due to the city's strategic location along Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. Even before Florida obtained statehood, steamboats frequented the St. Johns River carrying U.S. Army soldiers to Fort Mellon, located on the shores of Lake Monroe, to defend the area against Native Americans during the Seminole Wars. Steamboats were used at the fort and during the Battle of Camp Monroe to relocate Seminoles, explore the St. Johns River, and to distribute military forces. During the second half of the 1830s, steamboats were used to tow barges from the river to Lake Monroe in order to stimulate trade. The first commercial steamboat was developed as the Brock Line in the early 1850s. As trade grew, various wharves and docks were built in locations such as Mellonville Avenue, Palmetto Avenue, Oak Street, and Sanford Avenue. The Debary-Baya Merchant Line began transporting passengers in 1883, which further developed the steamboat industry. The line was purchased by the Clyde Line in 1886 and remained open until 1933. The growth of railroads was the primary cause of the decline of the steamboat industry.
By the mid-1880s, Sanford, Florida had become a major distribution center due to the city's strategic location along Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. Even before Florida obtained statehood, steamboats frequented the St. Johns River carrying U.S. Army soldiers to Fort Mellon, located on the shores of Lake Monroe, to defend the area against Native Americans during the Seminole Wars. Steamboats were used at the fort and during the Battle of Camp Monroe to relocate Seminoles, explore the St. Johns River, and to distribute military forces. During the second half of the 1830s, steamboats were used to tow barges from the river to Lake Monroe in order to stimulate trade. The first commercial steamboat was developed as the Brock Line in the early 1850s. As trade grew, various wharves and docks were built in locations such as Mellonville Avenue, Palmetto Avenue, Oak Street, and Sanford Avenue. The Debary-Baya Merchant Line began transporting passengers in 1883, which further developed the steamboat industry. The line was purchased by the Clyde Line in 1886 and remained open until 1933. The growth of railroads was the primary cause of the decline of the steamboat industry.
Source
Original 9 x 6 inch black and white photoprint: Reference Collection, Call number RC07052, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
Publisher
Date Created
ca. 1880-1929
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 9 x 6 inch black and white photoprint on Florida Memory Project: Reference Collection, Call number RC07052, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida. http://floridamemory.com/items/show/30207
Is Part Of
Reference Collection, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
Sanford Riverfront Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpeg
Extent
91 KB
Medium
9 x 6 inch black and white photoprint
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Sanford, Florida
Spatial Coverage
28.814197, -81.266041
Temporal Coverage
1880-01-01/1929-12-31
Accrual Method
Deposit
Audience Education Level
SS.K.A.1.2; SS.1.A.1.1; SS.2.A.1.1; SS.3.A.1.1; SS.3.A.1.2; SS.4.A.1.1; SS.4.A.6.1; SS.4.E.1.2; SS.5.A.1.1; SS.6.W.1.3; SS.8.A.1.2; SS.8.A.1.5; SS.8.A.4.5; SS.912.A.1.2; SS.912.A.1.4 SS.912.W.1.3
Mediator
History Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the State Library and Archives of Florida, and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Source Repository
External Reference
Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). Sanford. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003.
De Berard, Ella Teague. Steamboats in the Hyacinths. Daytona Beach, Fla: College Pub. Co, 1956.
"Steamboats." Museum of Seminole County History, Seminole County, Florida Government. http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/core/fileparse.php/3338/urlt/steamboats.pdf.
Bass, Bob. When Steamboats Reigned in Florida. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2008.
"Sanford: a Brief History." City of Sanford Florida. http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=48.
"Central Florida Railroad." Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. http://www.wghf.org/cfrailroad.
"Episode 25: The Railways of Central Florida." RICHES of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/audio/Ep25-RailwaysOfCentralFL.mp3.
Murdock, R. Ken. Outline History of Central Florida Railroads. Winter Garden, Fla: Central Florida Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, 1997.
Turner, Gregg M. A Journey into Florida Railroad History. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2008.
"Our Evolution and History: Interactive Timeline," CSX, http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-csx/our-evolution-and-history/interactive-timeline/.
External Reference Title
a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/184906141" target="_blank">A Journey into Florida Railroad History
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1 black and white photoprint
Physical Dimensions
9 x 6 inch
Collection
Citation
“Steamship at the South Florida Railroad Company Pier,” RICHES, accessed April 26, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/457.