Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Georgiana Railway: 1892-1894

Photographed by Jamie Cox, May 3, 2016

1. Georgiana Railway: 1892-1894 Marker

Inscription. In 1892, Frank Cass Allen, a Georgiana merchant, began building a 0.6-mile standard-gauge railway with steel rail and wood ties across Merritt’s Island at this location, connecting docks on the Indian and Banana Rivers. It was part of his private water/rail venture to accommodate tourists, especially northerners, who began flocking to the Atlantic beaches following the completion of a mainline railroad into Titusville in 1885. Allen wanted to improve upon the one and only 45-mile boat trip around the southern tip of the island to reach the beaches south of the Cape. His 10-mile route across the Indian River to Georgiana by boat, the island by rail, and the Banana River by boat took about an hour. One 10-ton steam locomotive is documented, apparently replacing an earlier one. Allen built an open 50-passenger car using commercial railroad wheels. The line opened in mid-December 1893, and by April 1894, over 700 had visited the beaches. Financial problems and poor maintenance defeated the railway, and, in mid-1894, it was replaced by a wagon route at Lotus, two miles farther south. The locomotive and passenger car were sold

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

at public auction on March 2, 1896. Rail and other rolling stock were not part of this sale.

Erected 2007 by The Brevard County Historical Commission, Brevard County Tourist Development Council and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-607.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.

Location. 28° 17.314′ N, 80° 40.562′ W. Marker is on Merritt Island, Florida, in Brevard County. It is at the intersection of South Tropical Trail (County Road 3) and Crooked Mile Road, on the right when traveling south on South Tropical Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3925 S Tropical Trail, Merritt Island FL 32952, 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

Georgiana Railway: 1892-1894 Marker Surroundings image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jamie Cox, May 3, 2016

2. Georgiana Railway: 1892-1894 Marker Surroundings

the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Georgianna United Methodist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Provost Hall (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lawndale (approx. 3.8 miles away); The Thousand Islands (approx. 4 miles away); Valencia Historic District (approx. 4.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial Park (approx. 4.3 miles away); First Buffalo Hunt (approx. 4.3 miles away); America’s Women Veterans (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Merritt Island.

Georgiana Railway: 1892-1894 Marker Situation image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jamie Cox, May 3, 2016

3. Georgiana Railway: 1892-1894 Marker Situation

Looking south.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2017. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2016, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,510 times since then and 98 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 3, 2016, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.