Atlantic Coast Line Train Depot

Atlantic Coast Line Train Depot. Current Home of the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce. The first railway line was opened in Mount Dora in 1887 by the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway (JT&KW) The 29.5 mile branch ran from Sanford to Tavares with a morning and evening stop at the Mount Dora Depot. In 1902, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) acquired the trains and track as part of a large orange grove land purchase., In response to the successful citrus industry and booming population, the ACL Railroad replaced the aging nineteenth century depot with a newer building in 1915. Rather than replicating the rectangular design of the old depot, railroad architects and carpenters created a segmented arched wall system to conform to the alignment of Alexander Street and the railroad track. The cost of the new building was $8,223., By 1922, there were four trains with passengers, mail and freight arriving daily in Mount Dora. Locally grown oranges were shipped by train all over the country and wrapped in tissue paper bearing a bass symbol. Flyers were included with the citrus offering free Mount Dora brochures on request., The last passenger train left Mount Dora in 1960, and the last citrus freight left by rail in 1973. The Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce leased the depot and eventually purchased the historic site.