The 100th anniversary of the completion of Henry Flagler’s Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad peaks today, with events held Jan. 14-23 throughout the island chain. An associated online contest to win a weeklong Keys vacation for two is to end Jan. 22 — 100 years after the first train’s journey from the Florida mainland to Key West.
When the inaugural train steamed through the Keys in January 1912 it connected the previously isolated islands with each other and the mainland for the first time and began the Keys’ evolution into a modern-day vacation destination. Stretching more than 100 miles over open water, the Over-Sea Railroad was lauded upon its completion as the world’s most unique rail line. Its demise resulted from damage caused by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane and a railroad operation that was in receivership. In 1938 it was replaced by the Florida Keys Overseas Highway.
The Florida Keys Cyber-Train to Sunshine Contest's prize package includes airfare and rental car vouchers, six nights' accommodations and free admission to many Keys attractions. An entry form is at fla-keys.com/flagler-centennial.
The celebration features a 1900s-era costume ball and community parade in Key West, a one-man performance by a re-enactor portraying railroad founder Henry Flagler, an exploration of the former railroad workers’ camp on the tiny island of Pigeon Key, museum and memorabilia exhibitions and a re-enactment at Bahia Honda State Park.
Events began Jan. 14, with a “family fun day” at Pigeon Key, a railroad heritage site lying beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge. The sold-out ball was Jan. 21, at Key West’s historic Casa Marina, originally built to accommodate the railroad’s elite passengers.
The parade at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, on Key West’s Duval Street is to recall the citywide festivities surrounding the first train’s arrival. The route ends near the Key West Museum of Art & History at the Custom House, 281 Front St., where participants and spectators are to be welcomed by a Flagler re-enactor. They then can attend the debut of the museum’s expanded “Speedway to Sunshine” exhibit showcasing the Over-Sea Railroad.
A celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Over-Sea Railroad’s completion culminates with its final event: a Jan. 23 evening presentation and book signing by Seth Bramson at The Studios of Key West, 600 White St. Bramson is the company historian for the Florida East Coast Railway and author of “The Greatest Railroad Story Ever Told: Henry Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway’s Key West Extension."
Event information: www.FlaglerKeys100.com
Florida Keys visitor information: www.fla-keys.com or 1-800-FLA-KEYS (1-800-352-5397)
Social: facebook.com/floridakeysandkeywest · twitter.com/thefloridakeys · youtube.com/FloridaKeysTV
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