1948 Florida East Coast Railway Map of Florida and the FEC

This is a 1948 Florida East Coast Railway map of Florida highlighting the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). Promoting the railway's newly introduced double track, the map illustrates Florida's extensive railroad network.

A Closer Look

A double bright red line runs south along Florida's east coast from Jacksonville to Miami, reinforcing the Florida East Coast Railway's advertising push that it is the 'only double track route' in Florida. Major cities along the route are labeled in bold black, while more minor stops appear in much smaller text. The rest of Florida's railroad network is illustrated by thin black lines, each labeled with the operating railroad's initials. The Seminole Indian Reservation, Apalachicola National Forest, Osceola National Forest, Ocala National Forest, and Everglades National Park are all emphasized using a shade of orange. An inset along the left border depicts the Florida panhandle from Alabama to Panama City.

The Florida East Coast Railway

The Florida East Coast Railway was a major force in the development of Eastern Florida in the late 19th and early 20th century. Spearheaded by the industrialist Henry Flagler, the FEC fulfilled a vision dating back at least to the 1870s. Before Flagler, eastern Florida south of Jacksonville was serviced by only a few rickety old railroads unconnected to one another. Most access to eastern Florida cities was limited to ferry and steamer services. Flagler bought up most of the failing existing railroads, upgraded them, and connected them with new lines, formally consolidating the network first as the 'Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Indian River Railway', and then, on September 9, 1895, as the 'Florida East Coast Railway'.

The railroad reached New Smyrna in 1892, Cocoa in 1893, Palm Beach in 1894, and Miami in 1896. Flagler constructed sumptuous resorts and founded cities along the route: the Ormond, the Royal Palm, the Royal Poinciana, the Continental, and more. Combined with his railroads and the Peninsular and Occidental Steamship Company (P. and O. S.S.), Flagler commanded a resort empire spanning the entire east coast of the Florida peninsula.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published in 1948, likely by the Florida East Coast Railway, but no publisher, cartographer, or artist is credited. An example is part of the Touchton Map Library at the Tampa Bay History Center. Another 6 examples are cataloged in OCLC, which are part of the collections at the University of Virginia, the Newberry Library, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Jacksonville Public Library, the University of Florida, and the University of Washington.