Historic Significance of the Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad

Within one year of becoming the territorial capitol, Tallahassee grew from six private homes to over 100, as the fertile Apalachee old fields attracted many settlers.

As early as 1826, a road was under construction from Tallahassee to the St. Marks River where the closest navigable water access to the Gulf of Mexico was available.

Because the wagon road was through deep sand, efforts began to construct a railroad to the town of St. Marks. There the deep “Spanish Hole,” at the confluence of the St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers, allowed schooners and other vessels to be moored even at low tide. This brought commerce into and out of the mouth of the St. Marks River. 

After various fundraising and construction delays, the railroad was partially available in June 1837 by utilizing mules to pull the train cars. The full Tallahassee to St. Marks route was finally usable in November 1837 when the first locomotive arrived.

The railroad encouraged commerce and income flow for the Tallahassee area because it was extensively used by cotton growers who needed a way to get their crop to textile mills in England and New England. Naval store merchants also used it to transport resin-based components used in building and maintaining wooden sailing ships. These products included cordage, mask, turpentine, rosin, pitch and tar.

In addition, timber interests benefited from the ability to transport their goods by railroad to East Coast ports. The trains also provided transportation for necessities and luxury items coming in from elsewhere.

During the Civil War the Confederates used the railroad largely to move troops, artillery and supplies in defense of Tallahassee.

In March 1865, the railroad accomplished its highest military significance when it was used to deploy Confederate troops quickly south from Tallahassee in the face of an advance by Union troops. The railroad enabled Generals Samuel Jones and William Miller to put enough men into place to defeat Union General John Newton at the Battle of Natural Bridge on March 6, 1865.

While no railroad structures other than the rail bed, a “commissary building,” and one turpentine loading platform remain, the present 60-foot-wide trail corridor occupies the same original land grant. The only exception is where the original railroad was rerouted around private property for security reasons.