Christian Peterson
Reporter@riverbendnews.org
The center of Live Oak was originally located at the intersection of Houston and Conner Streets. It was next to a railroad station that had been built in 1861. However, the Civil War changed many things once it had ended. John Parshley and others used the new opportunities presented by the end of the war to move the center of Live Oak to its current location next to Howard Street and Ohio Avenue. Yet, due to the moving of such a central location, a new train station was needed with access to it.
In 1885, a new train station was built east of Ohio Avenue and north of Conner Street. Its goal was to service railroad lines throughout Live Oak and Suwannee County, notably the company known as the Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad (SF&W) owned by Henry Plant. The station itself was roughly 180 feet long and built of wood, mirroring most buildings of the time. Plant passed away on June 23, 1899.
Shortly after Plant passed away, in 1902, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) purchased Plant’s property, including the SF&W. The depot was in need of repair and the ACL decided to completely replace it with a new building, which would be better suited for the increase of traffic, especially in materials such as timber, turpentine and cotton. The new depot was constructed northwest of the original building and was 300 feet long; it was also made of brick, a big change from the original. The new depot was divided into three different sections, including an office space on the western end, a warehouse in the middle with 12-inch wide pine subflooring and, finally, at the eastern end of the warehouse was a long roofed platform, known as a “cotton platform.” The building had a tile roof, as well as five large rolling doors on the north and south sides. These doors provided light, ventilation and freight access. There was also an eight-foot-deep platform on the south side, providing a space for unloading the train. The depot was much larger than most of the day, planning for a large rotation of products. “It was many times filled to capacity; there are accounts during cotton season of hundreds of cotton bales stretching for blocks waiting to be shipped,” the Suwannee County Historical Commission said in a Facebook post.
For over 60 years, the depot continued in serving the community. In the 1920’s, the depot added additional office space, with three separate offices inside, which were combined into one office right before 1930. The tile roof was also replaced by a composition roll.
Over time, railroads became more obsolete and Live Oak lost its status as a major train town. By 1971, all short line railroads had either been sold or shut down. The massive depot was left abandoned. Then, in 1984, the Suwannee County Historical Commission worked with Seaboard System, the company created by the merger of the ACL and Seaboard Air Line, to have the depot donated to the county.
In 1990, the renovations of the depot were finished. At the same time, the Historical Commission moved the museum from the old City Hall to the refurbished depot. “We are continuing to add, collect and preserve materials and artifacts pertaining to the culture of local and regional history. Collections of artifacts, photographs and materials, donated by the community, are on display in various exhibits. Help us preserve our history for future generations by donating your historical items to the museum. Don’t let our history end up in a thrift store or yard sale or worse.” Visit the Suwannee County Historical Museum at 208 North Ohio Avenue, Live Oak. They’re open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. Call (386) 362-1776 for more information.
