Plant City in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Plant City Union Depot

Photographed By AGS Media, July 29, 2011

1. Plant City Union Depot Marker

Inscription. This property has been
placed on the

National Register
of Historic Places

by the United States
Department of the Interior
(Marker Number 75000558.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars.

Location. 28° 0.938′ N, 82° 7.31′ W. Marker is in Plant City, Florida, in Hillsborough County. Marker can be reached from North Palmer Street near East North Drane Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is mounted just outside the entrance to the depot building, which is now the Plant City Historic Downtown Welcome Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 North Palmer Street, Plant City FL 33563, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Town of Plant City (a few steps from this marker); In Honor and Remembrance (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Plant City High School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Site of Methodist Episcopal Church South (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bing Rooming House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Marine PFC Edward L. Wise (approx. 0.4 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Freedom Rising Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Plant City.

Regarding Plant City Union Depot.

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Plant City (named for railroad magnate Henry B. Plant) grew up around the crossing of two significant Florida rail lines, commonly known as the "A-Line" and the "S-Line". What would become the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's A-Line was built in 1884 by Plant's South Florida Railroad. The crossing came in 1890, when the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad built the future Seaboard Air Line Railroad's S-Line.

The Plant City Union Depot was built at the site of this rail junction in 1908-09. As its "Union" name indicates, the station was built and shared by competing rail companies, the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line. A true union came in 1967 when the two merged to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Plant City Union Depot continued to service passenger and freight trains until 1971. Today, it houses the Plant City Historic Downtown Welcome Center, which includes a small railroad museum.

The red brick depot sits along the northwest corner of the intersecting tracks, and consists of a single-story passenger building and a two-story freight station. The passenger station originally included a second story control tower. The freight and passenger buildings originally sat across the S-Line tracks from each other, with the freight depot on the northeast corner of the rail junction. Sometime after 1976 it was moved across the tracks to its present site just

Photographed By AGS Media, December 22, 2011

2. Plant City Union Depot Marker

The plaque is seen to the right of the post in the center.

north of the passenger station in order to build a second set of S-Line tracks. The depot was listed with the National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 1975 (# 75000558). The depot gained additional status as a Contributing Structure within the Downtown Plant City Commercial District when the NRHP added the historic district in 1993.

Plant City Union Depot was designed in the Eclectic style by architect Joseph F. Leitner. Leitner was a popular designer of railroad facilities including other Union Stations, like the one in nearby Tampa and in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Both stations are also listed with the National Register of Historic Places.

Also see . . . Video: Plant City, Florida Railfanning. YouTube footage of Union Depot and Plant City trains from Danny Harmon of Distant Signal Productions (Submitted on January 15, 2012, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida.)

Plant City Union Depot image. Click for full size.

Photographed By AGS Media, July 29, 2011

3. Plant City Union Depot

Now the Plant City Historic Downtown Welcome Center

Plant City Union Depot Passenger Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By AGS Media, July 29, 2011

4. Plant City Union Depot Passenger Building

Plant City Union Depot Freight Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By AGS Media, July 29, 2011

5. Plant City Union Depot Freight Building

Photographed By A. M. Windhorst, 1911

6. Plant City Union Depot

This photo shows the old control tower that sat atop the passenger station.Courtesy: Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida [RC06034]

1924

7. Plant City Union Depot

The freight building (center) in its original location, across from the passenger station (left).Courtesy: Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida [PR08612]

Historic Train Depot Mural image. Click for full size.

Photographed By AGS Media, July 29, 2011

8. Historic Train Depot Mural

A nearby mural depicts Union Depot.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 15, 2012, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,176 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on January 15, 2012, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.