My Visit to the Railroads in Callahan, Florida

 Hi everyone! It is Kyra (your blogger) and I am back to share some information on my small town that you probably have never heard of. Callahan, FL is one of the smallest towns near us but has so much meaning behind it.

I would like to touch base with you on one specific topic that is one of the most historical growing points in Callahan. Around the 1800s, the whole town was basically centered around this railroad complex. It was near Railroad (Dixie) Avenue at the time. On one side was The Henry Plant System freight building which was then removed from active service by Seaboard Coastline until 1983. Later, it was then relocated to be in use at a library or museum. On the other side of this freight building was the water tower. The water tower in my small town is an extremely important part of our town. All of the little things and history of our town is what makes everything even more special. 

Continuing, during the war years was a hard recovery for Callahan because it was already such a small town and so much had to be rebuilt. It was a slow and painful process but once everything was rebuilt, the people moved on with life as they did beforehand. The main thing the war took away from our small town of Callahan, was the railroads. It blocked sources of transportation and practically destroyed the railroad.The Railroad complex was a place for the members of society to come together as one. This put a pause on these activities. According to Yesterday’s Reflections II, it says that the complex was “lighted with homemade tallow candles until 1889 and heated by fireplace with wood cut and brought by members.” (Johannes, Sr., 2000, pp. 199–205). The burning of the building resulted in a relocation to other sites. The rail reconstruction was completely finished by 1872.

Thank you for reading my post of the history of the railroad in my small town Callahan, Florida.

Johannes, Sr., J. H. (2000). Yesterday’s Reflections II Nassau County, Florida (L. Johannes, Ed.; Millennium Edition, Vol. 2, pp. 199–205).