Tallahassee station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tallahassee, FL
Southeast view
Location	9181⁄2 Railroad Avenue Tallahassee, FL 32310
Construction
Parking	Yes
Other information
Station code	TLH
History
Opened	1858 March 31, 1993
Closed	August 28, 2005 (service suspended)
Rebuilt	1885
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Chipley toward Los Angeles Sunset Limited (1993–2005) Madison toward Orlando or Miami
Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad Company Freight Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Florida
Location	Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Built	1858
NRHP reference No.	97001589
Added to NRHP	December 30, 1997

The Tallahassee station is a very old and important train station in Tallahassee, Florida. It is also known as the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad Company Freight Depot. This building was first built in 1858. Many different train companies used it over the years. In 2005, Amtrak stopped its train service because of Hurricane Katrina. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. This means it is a special historic place.

Station History

The 1905 Seaboard passenger station, with the old depot in the background.

This station is one of the oldest railroad buildings in all of Florida. It is also one of only three train depots in the state that were built before the American Civil War. The Pensacola and Georgia Railroad first built it in 1858. This company carried both goods and people. Their trains went east to Lake City and west to Quincy. You could also travel north into Georgia.

In 1869, after the Civil War, a new company called the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad (JP&M) took over. They continued to offer freight and passenger service. They also made the train line go even further west to Chattahoochee. From there, you could connect to trains going to Pensacola.

Changes Over the Years

In 1882, a person named Sir Edward Reed bought the JP&M company. He combined it with another railroad to form the Florida Central and Western Railroad. Two years later, in 1884, Reed merged this company into the Florida Railway and Navigation Company. This new company added a second floor to the depot building in 1885.

The Florida Railway and Navigation Company later changed its name to the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad (FC&P) in 1888. Then, in 1900, the Seaboard Air Line Railway bought most of the FC&P company. They fully owned it by 1903.

New Passenger Station and Amtrak Service

In 1905, the Seaboard company built a brand new passenger station. It was located just across the street from the old depot. This new station was used for passenger trains in Tallahassee until 1971. That year, for the first time in 113 years, passenger train service stopped in Tallahassee. This happened when Amtrak took over all passenger train services across the country. Amtrak stopped the Gulf Wind train, which used to go from New Orleans to Jacksonville.

Passenger train service returned to Tallahassee in 1993. Amtrak extended its Sunset Limited train service. This train now went east to Jacksonville from its old end point in New Orleans. The 1905 passenger station was now being used by CSX for freight trains. So, Amtrak started using the old 1858 depot as its Tallahassee passenger station.

Service Suspension

However, passenger train service stopped again in 2005. This was because Hurricane Katrina badly damaged the train tracks west of Mobile, Alabama. Even though the tracks were fixed in 2006, trains have not returned yet. This is due to problems with management and politics. But in 2016, Amtrak said they hoped to bring the "Sunset Limited" back soon. The station is still officially listed as an Amtrak station.

On December 30, 1997, the old depot was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Gallery

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  View of the west side of the depot

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  Historical marker at the depot

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  Northeast view of the depot

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  Another view of the west side of the depot

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  The 1905 Seaboard station next to the depot

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  Another view of the 1905 Seaboard station

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  The 1905 Seaboard station in 1922