The completion of the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad in the early 1900s allowed Key West and other communities along the Florida peninsula to become literally connected with the rest of the United States, enabling it to become an international destination. This transformation is called out at the Henry Flagler Overseas Railroad monument, but the way this history has been preserved and celebrated is quite limited.
Henry Flagler was an oil magnate, hotelier and owner of the East Coast Railway. He saw the benefit of linking this line to Key West, which is 128 miles beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. Starting in 1905, the task to do so began. At any given time, there were more than 4,000 men working to build the railroad, highlighting how incredibly arduous it was on every level. When it was finally complete in 1912 it was called the 8th wonder of the world.
For decades the Overland Railway stimulated activity and interest across the Florida Keys but the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 changed everything. The nearby Florida Keys Memorial commemorates this event, which led to a loss of life and the partial destruction of the railway.
This compelled the Florida East Coast Railway to sell the railroad to the state of Florida, which began a process to convert the railroad into a highway that was finalized in 1938 with the opening of the Overseas Highway. The highway was rebuilt in the 1980s and it now runs alongside some of the railway ruins. The state has also converted some of this infrastructure into fishing piers and walking paths to form the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail.
Much of this history is recounted on markers that reside near the Overseas Railroad monument, which features a caboose that once operated on the Overseas Railroad. The exterior of the caboose has been exposed to the elements, but the interior is restored and capable of featuring numerous pieces of history of exhibits. A walkway leading up to the caboose allows audiences to get right up to and the landmark and literally connect with it.
The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail is now a multi-use trail that the Henry Flagler Overseas Railroad monument could define and enliven in a powerful way. It contains the potential to become so much more for audiences in the present that would also preserve and celebrate an essential piece of Florida history.
