Orange Belt Railway

Orange Belt Railway (HM1R1C)

Location: Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 Seminole County
Buy Florida State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 28° 40.979', W 81° 23.823'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 544 views
Inscription
(side 1)
The Seminole Wekiva Trail has been built for the most part on the roadbed of the Orange Belt Railway. This railroad was the lifeline of the area from Sanford to Lake Apopka from 1885 through the early part of the 20th century. Starting at Lake Monroe it tied together what is now the western part of Seminole County with stops at Sylvan Larke, Paola, Island Lake, Glen Ethel, Groveland, Palm Springs (all farming settlements along the Longwood Markham Road), as well as Granada (as this area was called), Forest City, and Toronto, a distance of 18 miles. By 1888 the line extended to Pinellas Point, on the Gulf of Mexico. At that time it was the longest narrow gauge railroad in the country, extending for 117.68 miles, a status it held until 1897.
(Continued on other side)


(side 2)
(Continued from other side)

Peter A. Demens, the prosperous owner of a sawmill in Longwood, was the driving force behind the building of the railroad. In 1885 he took over the charter of the Orange Belt Railway just underway in Lake Monroe, in payment for cross ties from his mill. The charter gave permission to build a railroad from Monroe (now Lake Monroe) to Oakland on the south shore of Lake Apopka, a distance of 35 miles. It was completed in November of 1886. A man of vision and optimism, Demens overcame grave financial difficulties to extend the line to the Gulf coast. This was accomplished in 1888 after a series of contractual and financial crisis were averted with help from the meat-packer Phillip Armour and Philadelphia financiers. Point Pinellas, the southern terminus of the line, was given the name St. Petersburg in honor of Mr. Demens' native city in Russia. In bankruptcy in 1893, the line became part of the Plant System and was renamed the Sanford and St. Petersburg Railway.
Details
HM NumberHM1R1C
Tags
Placed BySeminole County Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, March 14th, 2016 at 9:02am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 461209 N 3172928
Decimal Degrees28.68298333, -81.39705000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 28° 40.979', W 81° 23.823'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds28° 40' 58.74" N, 81° 23' 49.38" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)407, 321
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Seminole Wekiva Trail, Altamonte Springs FL 32714, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?