Pennichaw, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pennichaw
Unincorporated community
Pennichaw, Florida Location in Volusia County
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Volusia
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
enter ZIP code	32764
Area code(s)	386
GNIS feature ID	294885

Pennichaw is a quiet, rural area in south Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is known as an unincorporated community. This means it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town does. Pennichaw is located on Lake Harney Road, about 1.8 miles south of Maytown Road.

History of Pennichaw

Pennichaw was once a small community that grew because of the railroads. It was one of several settlements along a special train route called the Kissimmee Valley Branch. This branch was part of the larger Florida East Coast Railway.

Early Railroads in Florida

The very first railroad to go through the thick forests east of the St. Johns River was the Atlantic Coast, St. Johns & Indian River Railway. This railway was built starting in 1885. It connected to another train system near the village of Enterprise. From there, it went southeast through places like Osteen and Maytown, eventually reaching the coastal town of Titusville.

Henry Flagler's Influence

A powerful railroad builder named Henry Flagler was expanding his train lines south along Florida's east coast. He eventually bought the Atlantic Coast, St. Johns & Indian River Railway. This made it part of his growing network, which became the famous Florida East Coast Railway.

The Kissimmee Valley Branch

Between 1911 and 1929, the Florida East Coast Railway built what they called a "second complete mainline" to Miami. This new route was known as the Kissimmee Valley Branch. It started southwest from the busy railroad town of New Smyrna Beach.

The new route passed through Maytown, then Pennichaw, Osceola, and Geneva. This part was finished in 1912. The railway then continued to Chuluota in 1915. Finally, it wrapped around a large lake and ended at Lake Harbor in 1929. Even though it didn't become a full "second mainline," it did carry a lot of freight.

What Pennichaw Was Like

The name Pennichaw comes from a Seminole word. It means "turkey gobbler." When Pennichaw was at its busiest, it had a special factory called a turpentine still. This factory made turpentine from pine trees. It also had a commissary, which was like a general store for the workers.

The End of the Railroad Era

The railroad through Pennichaw stopped running in 1947. This happened because a new, shorter train route opened between Fort Pierce and Port Mayaca. However, trains still rolled through Pennichaw for a few more years. A large lumber company, the Peavy Wilson Lumber Company, used the tracks from Holopaw through Pennichaw to Maytown.

This lumber company stopped operating in 1951. After that, the train tracks through Pennichaw were quickly removed. The rest of the tracks in the Maytown area were abandoned in 1974. As the railroads and the businesses they brought disappeared, small communities like Pennichaw became much quieter. Today, only a few homes remain in the area where Pennichaw once thrived.

Rails-to-Trails Project

The state of Florida has been working on a special project called "Rails-to-Trails." This project turns old, unused railroad lines into paved paths for walking, running, and biking.

East Central Regional Rail Trail

Florida bought the land where old train lines used to be. These lines ran from New Smyrna (Edgewater) to Maytown and from Benson Junction to Titusville. The state then partnered with Volusia County to build a paved, multi-use trail. This trail stretches from Lake Monroe all the way to both Edgewater and Titusville.

The East Central Regional Rail Trail is more than 50 miles long. It is managed by Volusia and Brevard counties. The first part of the trail, which was 5.7 miles long, opened in early 2011. It's important to know that none of these new trails use the old train route that went through Pennichaw itself.