Fellsmere in Indian River County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Fellsmere Railroad

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, September 12, 2014

1. The Fellsmere Railroad Marker

Inscription. The standard-gauge Fellsmere Railroad was completed in 1910 with 60 lb. rail to replace the old Sebastian & Cincinnatus narrow-gauge railroad built in 1896 between Sebastian and Fellsmere. The Fellsmere Farms Company used the 10-mile-long railroad from September 1910 until May 1, 1911, for carrying logs to the Florida East Coast Railway in Sebastian and for transporting supplies, materials, equipment, and heavy machinery used for excavating drainage canals to Fellsmere. The railroad officially opened to the public on May 1, 1911, and ran four passenger trains daily with only two on Sunday, to and from Sebastian and Fellsmere. On January 23, 1913, the 12’ x 32’ Fellsmere Depot was opened for service, with Edward Nelson Fell, the founder of Fellsmere, purchasing the first ticket. The depot was built on the south side of the mainline north of the intersection of Broadway and South Carolina Avenue. By April 1915, the railroad was extended another 6 miles west of Fellsmere to Broadmoor (a now non-existent town). On June 2, 1924, the Trans-Florida Central Railroad (dubbed the “Dinky Line”) took over railroad operations.

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On November 30, 1952, the railroad officially ceased operations after 42 years of service.
A Florida Heritage Site

Erected 2011 by The Indian River Historical Society, The Fellsmere Community Redevelopment Agency, and The Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-725.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is May 1, 1911.

Location. 27° 46.445′ N, 80° 36.095′ W. Marker is in Fellsmere, Florida, in Indian River County. It is at the intersection of South Carolina Avenue (County Road 507) and 134th Court, on the left when traveling east on South Carolina Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fellsmere FL 32948, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s Space Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

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

the territory of the Mississippian

The Fellsmere Railroad Marker on the old railroad grade image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, September 12, 2014

2. The Fellsmere Railroad Marker on the old railroad grade

Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Birthplace for Equal Suffrage for Women in Florida (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Marian Fell Library (approx. ¼ mile away); Fellsmere Historical Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fellsmere Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fellsmere (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fellsmere Union Church (approx. half a mile away); The Fellsmere Public School (approx. half a mile away); Fellsmere Historic African American Community (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fellsmere.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,050 times since then and 154 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 25, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.