The Atlantic Coast Railroad came to Lake Wales, Florida in 1911.  The first station was a crude unpainted shack and platform. In 1913, the station was replaced by a large frame structure on Scenic Highway.  This handled both passengers and freight.   This was replaced by the  surviving  historic railroad station located at 325 South Scenic Highway, Lake Wells, Florida

Renovated 1926 Seaboard Airline Railroad red caboose.
   The station was  built in 1928.  Architect was Burrows  Construction Company.  It is a Mediterranean Revival  Building.  It is a one story building. The exterior was built with hollow tiles covered by stucco.  The roof is barrel tile.  Construction costs were $51,000.  A freight room and platform were added in 1938.

     Passenger service to Lake Wales ended in 1954.

    The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 8/31/1990.

     Fortunately, the local citizenry advocated to save the historic depot.  A museum was established in the  depot in 1976.  It was dedicated in 1978 as the Lakes Wales Depot Museum. In 1978, the Historic Lake Wales Society (a non for profit ) became the governing authority for the Museum.  Due to financial difficulties, in 1915, the Museum was reorganized under the City of Lake Wales.

     Adjacent to the railroad depot is a 1916 Pullman car, A 1926 Seaboard Airline Railroad red caboose and a 1944 Diesel engine

     

     This building is located at 1 Park Place,  Haines City, Florida.  It is a one story built built by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1920’s.   The walls are stucco and brick. It was last used by the Seaboard Airline in 1971.   Building currently used by Epic Center Dance School.

     Immokalee was serviced by the Haines City branch of the Atlantic Coast Line. Other cities along this line include: Lake Wales, Avon Park, Sebring, and Everglades City

    The city of Chicago has halted work on this historic building in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.  Apparently, the new owner improperly removed a terra cotta bust and other features of the building facade.  Two stop orders were issued.

     The building was constructed in 1912 as the New Devon Movie Theater.  The architect was Henry Ross.  It featured a glazed brick facade and a large arch and the bust(thought to be an Egyptian goddess). It served as a Ford Dealership in the 1920’s.  It was a radio television store in the 1950’s.  In 1963, it became the Headquarters of the Assyrian American Association local chapter.

     Recently, the building was purchased by Doris Eneamokwu from a trust tied to Assyrian American Association of Chicago. She plans to convert the building into a banquet hall.

     Eneamokwu claims not to have known that the building was historically protected.

     The earliest stop on the FEC railroad in the Vero Beach area was a whistle stop at mile marker 350.     The first station was a small one story wooden structure. It was built in 1903  by Henry Flagler.  There was a separate freight station.

     In 1916, the passenger station was expanded;an observation bay was installed as was a new door. In 1936, the depot was rehab bed to expand the ticket booth and add restrooms.

    In the 1940’s, both the freight and passenger stations were busy.  Troops were coming and leaving from Vero Beach Naval Air Station

     In 1968, passenger service ended. Freight service ended in 1979.  The passenger depot stood abandoned on the east side of the tracks on Commerce Avenue.

     In 1984, the depot was purchased from the FEC railroad by the Indian County Historical Society.  Cost was one dollar.  It was moved one and one half miles to its new location at 2336  14th Avenue.  An extensive rehab was undertaken before the depot reopened as a museum.

    The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places 1987.

FEC Vero Beach Railroad Station

     Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in Florida. Its area is 730 square miles.   It is 28.95 miles in width.  It is 35.7 miles in length.  The average depth is 9 feet.  Inflow into the lake is the Kissimmee River and Fisheating Creek. Outflow is the Everglades, Caloosahatchee River, and Saint Lucie River.  The lake is located in Glades, Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, and Hendry Countries.