RR owned hotels or resorts?

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I am compiling a list of hotels, inns and resorts owned or operated by railroads. Currently in my list I have 8 Plant System hotels all located in Florida.(Tampa Bay Hotel, Inn at Port Tampa, Seminole at Winter Park, Kissimmee Hotel, Ocala Hotel, Hotel Bellview at Bellair, Hotel Punta Gorda, Fort Myers Hotel) Does anyone have additions/corrections to add to this list? How about years in operation? Does anyone know ANY other hotels owned/oped. by ACL, SAL, etc? Does anyone know if ACL owned or operated "The ACL Hotel" located near the depot in Hamlet, NC. circa 1905? I would also hope that contributers would devulge their sources so I can confirm facts. Hint: Just because it was called "The Southern Hotel" or it was advertised in a timetable does NOT automatically mean it had a rr connection. I have a 9 page list of hotels I would be happy to share with others. Happy Hunting!

-- Albert E. Pope (aepope@worldnet.att.net), October 05, 1999

Answers

The SAL owned the Seminole Inn in Indiantown, FL, which was to be its Southern Headquarters. Built in 1926, it is still in operation.

-- Daniel F. Norfleet (fleet3@hotmail.com), December 10, 2000.

I believe the SAL owned the old hotel at Norlina, which was used as a meal stop for passenger trains prior to the use of dining cars. This hotel was replaced by the new brick hotel sometime in the 30s or 40s-- the newer hotel was located several blocks away on US1 and obviously catered to the automobile tourists rather than the railroad passengers.

-- Jim Hecht (JimHecht@aol.com), February 09, 2000.

The Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic owned the Oglethorpe Hotel in Brunswick, Ga. from about 1906 to 1910.

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), October 13, 1999.

You name the Fort Myers Hotel as being owned by the Plant System...I will look into it, but Mr. Plant absolutely,positively, HATED the city of Fort Myers. He refused to extend the line from Punta Gorda south; construction of the line did not begin until he died.

-- Bill Donahue (BillD53A@aol.com), October 12, 1999.

There were two old Railroad Hotels located in Boykins,Virginia,the town where I grew up. I think they were Seaboard Airline RR property but they could have been owned by the Seaboard and Roanoke RR up until 1900.Both of these buildings are still standing and have been renovated and turned into rental apts.I was told many years ago by many of the older Railroad workers there that these were Railroad Hotels.Thanks

-- Carlton Pope (dpope@amaze.net), October 07, 1999.


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