Pensacola & Atlantic Railroad

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The Pensacola & Atlantic Railroad was a railroad that connected Pensacola to the eastern interior.

The railroad received a charter of incorporation on March 21, 1881. Construction began on June 1, and an official groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 22.

It was completed in 1882, acquiring assets of the former Pensacola & Barrancas Railroad the same year, and the first passengers crossed the Pensacola Bay railroad bridge on August 15.

An extension to the Apalachicola River was completed on February 10, 1883, and another to Jacksonville was completed on April 11 of the same year.

On August 25, 1884, a P&A drawbridge watchman was found dead on the tracks, his body riddled with 23 bullets.[1]

The railroad later became part of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.

References[edit]

  1. "Why the Draw Wasn't Open." New York Times, August 26, 1884.