Speedway to Sunshine
Flagler's East Coast Extension
New Exhibit at Custom House Museum
Opening Reception Photos - January 22, 2011
Flagler's Speedway to Sunshine
The Key West Art & Historical Society celebrated the 99th anniversary of Flagler's Railroad arrival in Key West with a Member's Reception in its newest permanent exhibit, "Flagler's Speedway to Sunshine," at the Custom House Museum, 281 Front St., Key West, Florida, on January 22, 5:30 - 7:30 PM. The exhibit opened to the public on January 23.
The museum will sponsor special events and programs throughout 2011, culminating on January 22, 2012, with the 100th anniversary of Flagler's arrival in Key West.
"We want visitors to learn about this incredible project, considered by many to be the Eighth Wonder of the World," said Claudia Pennington, CEO of Key West Art & Historical Society. "This exhibit will introduce the railroad workers, cooks, doctors, wives, and children who came to this distant outpost to help create a marvel of modern engineering - the railroad that went to the sea."
The exhibit will feature quotes from the men and women that were there, including nineteen-year-old Swedish immigrant Carl Sahlin. "We worked six days a week, 10 hours a day but to a young fellow this was not considered a hardship. I earned $1.65 for a ten-hour day, minus a charge for meals."
Violet Pierce Stickney and Gertrude Lowe Sandquist were teenagers when the first train arrived in Key West. "We milled around the crowd and after the dignitaries left, one gentleman from the group accompanying Mr. Flagler came up and asked us if we'd like to go aboard. Being typical 16-year-olds, we did."
The exhibit's set piece is a recreated Flagler railway car like the one that arrived 99 years ago. Visitors can sit in the railcar seats and gaze out the window via a flat screen TV that shows rare film footage a passenger shot as the train left Pigeon Key, bound for Key West. Another film produced by Historic Tours of America blends archival footage and interviews to tell Flagler's story, including the celebration in Key West the day the train arrived. A crowd of 10,000 people, including local schoolchildren, greeted the train's arrival.
In addition to the artifacts from the museum's permanent collection, Seth H. Bramson, America's senior collector of Florida East Coast Railway memorabilia and author of more than 60 articles on Florida local and transportation history, has loaned some extraordinary pieces from his private collection. "The conductor's uniform is an actual uniform of a Florida East Coast Railway conductor," Bramson said. "Down to the original cap and uniform buttons." Bramson's FEC china, silver and serving pieces will be displayed along with several FEC menus and "Havana Special" stationery that was used in the lounge cars. Bramson has also loaned the original bridge plate from the old Seven Mile Bridge to the exhibit that dates back to 1911.
Anyone traveling along US-1 can easily see the structures of the Seven Mile Bridge that are recreated in the exhibit area. Dr. Dan Gallagher has also built a model and explains of the building process in a DVD that uses rare archival photography.
Through this new exhibit, visitors to the Custom House Museum will travel back to the early days of the 20th Century when Key West was the richest city in Florida. The museum is open every day from 9:30 to 5. |
