Train depot to become museum
Town employees plan to wear train conductor uniforms and other outfits worn around 1915 during an open house planned for March 31 to April 1 at the Henry Flagler train depot at Sawfish Bay Park.
“The public will be able to see the progress we are making,” said Jupiter Principal Planner David Kemp.
Plans call for turning the yellow depot in the waterfront park on the east side of Alternate A1A just north of Center Street into a museum. Plans have not been finalized.
Jupiter approved about $80,000 in 2011 to move the former Florida East Coast Railway depot from Seabrook Drive in Tequesta to Sawfish Bay. The 22-by-52-foot depot, built in 1915, was a stopping point during the early days of Henry Flagler’s railroad.
The depot was used for about two decades on the west side of Alternate A1A, just south of Center Street and across from Bell’s Mobile Home Park, according to town records.
Volunteers and financing from the town and Loxahatchee Guild Inc. have resulted in painting the building yellow, replacing the roof, windows, decks, and doors along with repairing the inside of the structure. New steps, pavers and a ramp have been installed.
Current plans call for new Bill DiPaolo landscaping, which would include hedges around the east and west sides of the depot. Interior renovations to build a closet and display case to store artifacts are planned, said Kemp.
Restrooms are planned outside the depot. One would be on the north side of Sawfish Bay, near the pavilion frequented by fishermen under the Alternate A1A bridge. The other would be on the south side, near the depot. Construction is planned for 2018.
Here are some facts about the train depot:
■ Why is the depot painted yellow? All Henry Flagler’s train depots were painted yellow, Flagler’s favorite color. Flagler train depots in Delray Beach, Homestead and Canal Point are all yellow.
■ When and where was the depot built? The current train depot is the second FEC depot in Jupiter and was built in 1915. The first FEC train depot was built in 1894 and was located on the east side of the FEC Railway tracks approximately 325 feet north of where the 1915 train depot is now.
■ Is the current depot the original size? No, the original depot was twice as long. The reduction occurred between 1948 and 1952.
■ How many Flagler train depots are there? From Jacksonville to Key West, 28 were built. There are eight left, including the one in Jupiter.
■ What was the depot used for? Passengers weren’t the only riders. Fruits and plants were shipped on the trains. So was daily mail. Live animals were shipped to northern zoos by Trapper Nelson, who set up a homestead-turned-zoo on the shore of the Loxahatchee River in the 1940s.