When did Henry Flagler build the railroad?
1905
In 1905, he began constructing what would be called, “Flagler’s Folly,” a railroad that would span seven miles of open water on its way to Key West. At the time, Key West was Florida’s most populated city.
Who built first railroad to Key West?
Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad
Over a hundred years ago, the first train to cross the Overseas Railroad, technically known as the Key West extension of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway, chugged into Key West.
When did Henry Flagler start the Florida East Coast Railway?
Julia Tuttle, the Florida East Coast Canal and Transportation Company, and the Boston and Florida Atlantic Coast Land Company, each offered Flagler land to bring his railroad further south, which he set about doing immediately. Flagler’s railroad, renamed the Florida East Coast Railway in 1895, reached Biscayne Bay by 1896.
How much did it cost to build the Flagler railroad?
Completed in 1912 after seven years of unrelenting labor, it cost Flagler an estimated $50 million and required unparalleled vision and unswerving perseverance. According to a volume released in 1912 announcing the railroad’s debut, Flagler possessed those qualities in abundance.
Who was the first person to build a railroad?
Returning to Florida in 1881, he became the builder and developer of resort hotels and railroads along the east coast of Florida. Beginning with St. Augustine, he moved progressively south.
When did the Overseas Railroad start in Florida?
Overseas Railroad. The Overseas Railroad (also known as Florida Overseas Railroad, the Overseas Extension, and Flagler’s Folly) was an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city located 128 miles (204.8 km) beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. Work on the line started in 1905 and it operated from 1912 to 1935,…