Port St. Joe in Gulf County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Florida's First Railroad

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, 1981

1. Florida's First Railroad Marker

Inscription. Florida's first railroad was constructed for the Lake Wimico & St. Joseph Canal & Railroad Company. Work began in 1835 and the first train ran in March 1836. The line extended nine miles from St. Joseph to Lake Wimico. The state's first steam locomotive was added in 1837. Economic distress, shallow lake waters, and a yellow fever epidemic combined to cause the abandonment of the line in 1839 and the decline of St. Joseph by 1840.

Erected 1961 by Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials. (Marker Number F-21.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1836.

Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 29° 47.561′ N, 85° 18.099′ W. Marker was in Port St. Joe, Florida, in Gulf County. It was at the intersection of Constitution Drive (U.S. 98) and Gautier Memorial Lane, on the right when traveling north on Constitution Drive. Marker was located on the grounds of Constitution Convention Museum State Park. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Port Saint Joe FL 32456, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was on the Florida Panhandle.

It was also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: The Florida Constitution (approx. 0.3 miles away); St. Joseph Cemetery Burial Register

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(approx. 0.8 miles away); Old St. Joseph Cemetery (approx. 0.8 miles away); Saint Joseph Cemetery (approx. 0.9 miles away); St. Joseph Catholic Mission Church (approx. 1.1 miles away); Shipyard Cove (approx. 1.3 miles away); Dr. Joseph P. Hendrix Memorial Park (approx. 1.4 miles away); St. Joseph Confederate Saltworks (approx. 7.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port St. Joe.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2019. It was originally submitted on February 8, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 817 times since then and 57 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on February 8, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.