Rebekah Sheats
Contributor
On Saturday, May 20, the Gulf Wind Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society held their annual open house at the Lloyd railroad depot, the oldest brick train station in the state of Florida. This beautiful old building captures a fascinating chapter of our county’s history.
Constructed in the 1850s as a depot along the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad, the Lloyd Depot was known as Station 2, the second station located along the line east of Tallahassee. A long loading dock ran the length of the building and beyond to accommodate the cotton, citrus, and other goods being shipped along the rails.
Passenger service was a large part of the depot’s function. A waiting room was located along the east side of the building, where the post office is currently housed. (A sign above the post office door still reads “Waiting Room.”)
Besides train service, the depot provided telegraph services in the early 1900s. Older residents of Lloyd still remember entering the train station as youngsters during the 1940s and hearing the “de-deet, deet, deet” of the messages coming over the wires. During World War Two, a poster of Uncle Sam warned locals and travelers at the station: “Don’t discuss troop movements, ship sailings, war equipment.”
The history of the train station is long and intriguing, and it calls to mind an interesting occurrence that happened along the train tracks only a few miles west of the station. The year was 1860. The Lloyd Depot was only two years old, and the train tracks running through the panhandle were still an exciting novelty for the residents of Jefferson County.
On May 16, 1860 the residents of Monticello chartered a special train to take them on a day’s outing to St. Marks. More than five hundred locals from Monticello, Waukeenah, and Lloyd piled into the chartered train cars at six o’clock in the morning. The excited hubbub of men, women, and children getting situated in their seats or peering out the windows was lost in the deafening shrieks of the train whistle as it pulled out of the station.
One resident of Monticello recalled, “the iron horse was driven by that experienced and fearless engineer, Mr. Key. The train sped over the track like a thing of life with its joyous, merry, laughing freight—every heart bounding with happiness.”
The trainload of passengers whizzed through Tallahassee and continued on its way to St. Marks, which it reached in a mere two and a half hours. The weather was lovely, and folks passed the day sailing, wading, watching alligators, or simply strolling through the luxurious stands of grass and trees. A delicious picnic lunch crowned the day’s activities.
At two o’clock, the merry throng piled back into the train for their return trip. During the long ride home, children napped with the tired sleep that comes only from a day spent in the Florida sunshine. Parents visited quietly and relived the day’s experiences. “There was nothing to mar the pleasure of the occasion,” remarked F. R. Fildes, the editor of the Monticello newspaper The Family Friend.
Nothing marred the lovely occasion—until the train approached the depot at Chaires. The switchman had changed the switch for the regular morning train from Monticello but had neglected to properly adjust it afterward. The passenger train returning from St. Marks was the first to travel the track since the mistake had been made. Suddenly the rhythmic clatter of the wheels passing over the rails was interrupted by a horrific shriek of metal upon metal and a terrible crash as the train hit the switch. The engine, tender, and one car were thrown from the tracks by the force of the collision.
Amazingly, only one person was injured in the crash. William Bell (the fireman for the train), seeing the train buckle as it hit the switch, leaped from the tender as it jumped the track. He successfully escaped the wreck but landed on a cross tie and broke his leg. Fortunately, Dr. McCants was one of the passengers on the train, and he set and splinted William’s leg on the spot.
The engineer J. N. Key did all he could for the comfort of his passengers. It took several hours to bring some order to the disaster, but by nightfall the group was able to resume their journey homeward. The train passed the Lloyd Depot and pulled into the Monticello station at eight thirty that evening. All aboard reached home safe and sound, though utterly exhausted. It had been a long, full day. For many, it had been a first—and a most unforgettable—encounter with this new form of travel known as railroad.
Thanks to the vision and untiring work of the Gulf Wind Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, a new generation of Jefferson County youngsters can see and learn about the fascinating history of the railroads that have been a part of our local story for almost two centuries. Formed in 1973, the Gulf Wind Chapter maintains and preserves the historic Lloyd Depot as well as engaging in other train-related activities. For more information on the chapter or to see how you can get involved, visit their website at www.gulfwindnrhs.org.
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