Does any one know if the ACL branch to Lucerne Park, FL had depots at Florence Villa and Lucerne Park? A 1911 timetable shows daily passenger service from Lake Alfred (Bartow Jct.) to Lucerne Park. Thanks Scott

-- scott young (syoung01@sprynet.com), April 22, 2003

Answers

Scott, there are 13 photos of Florence Villa at http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/ One photo shows an ACL boxcar being unloaded. No photos of the depot.

-- Carey Stevens (ca.stevens@att.net), April 23, 2003.

There was definitely an ACL depot in Florence Villa. It stood at least until the mid-70's. I remember that after the SCL merger, the Winter Haven SAL depot served passenger traffic, but the Florence Villa ACL depot was the freight depot... went there several times with my mother to ship fruit to her family in Virginia... The depot sat immediately south of Avenue T.

As far as Lucerne Park goes, I'm not sure - the shell of the old packing house survived into the the 90's, but was destroyed in a fire, probably about 10 years ago. Old Lucerne Park Road runs pretty much along the old railroad grade...The last time I went by the old packing house, the whole area was pretty scrubby and overgrown...

Paul

Paul

-- Paul Bizier (pa.bizier@verizon.net), April 23, 2003.

Scott- I'm not 100% certain that there were ACL station buildings at Lucerne Park and Florence Villa, Fla., BUT, both locations had station agents, suggesting that there were buildings to house their offices. And, since the branch had passenger service, that might lend further weight to the belief... The Lucerne Park Branch was opened September 7th, 1912, and there was one daily roundtrip passenger train until about 1928. Freight service lasted until circa 1963(?). Stations and mileposts: 0 - Florence Villa(a mile north of Winter Haven), 1 - Swanns, 5 - Lucerne Park and 6 - Niles. The passenger service ran to Niles until circa 1914, after which, it turned at Lucerne Park. You might want to check a city library in Winter Haven for Sanborn Insurance Maps of the area, which would show if there were buildings and give their floor dimensions.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), April 22, 2003.