There is quite a lot of information on this densely packed historical marker. It is in very good…read morecondition with easily legible white text on the black marker. On the front, it reads, "Gainesville's Railroads. The coming of the Florida Railroad opened up the interior of Florida for both settlement and trading and helped establish Gainesville. On February 1, 1859 the Florida Railroad entered town and connected Fernandina Beach with Cedar Key by 1861. Built from the northeast along what is now Waldo Road, the rails crossed 13th Street at Archer Road, and continued southwest along Archer Road to Cedar Key. The 19th century Florida roads were sandy, swampy and nearly impassible, so early rail access to two ports dramatically increased Gainesville's prosperity. Railroads provided transportation for outgoing agricultural products and brought in the region's first tourists, creating a demand for hotels, restaurants and other services. As the demand for North Central Florida agriculture grew at the turn of the 20th century, more railroads crisscrossed the region. The last railroad passenger service in Gainesville ended in 1971. The Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Railroad built a modern depot in 1948 rerouting its trains from Main Street downtown to tracks on Northwest 6th Street. The ACL depot is presently part of the downtown campus of Santa Fe Community College." And on the reverse, "Past Railroads of Gainesville. Gainesville's first railroad, the Florida Railroad, was started in 1859. In 1881, the Florida Southern Railroad reached town from Palatka, Hawthorne and Rochelle, entering at South Main Street from Hawthorne Road and running the length of Main Street to 8th Avenue. A route from Rochelle provided service to Ocala. Three years later, the Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad linked to these tracks, providing service through Alachua to Waycross, Georgia. The two lines merged in 1902, becoming the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, providing service from Tampa Bay to New York. ACL trains ran in the middle of Main Street stopping for passengers to use the city's hotels. In 1895, the Gainesville and Gulf Railroad built a line to Micanopy along NW 6th Street. By 1899, the rails reached south past Fairfield to Emathala and north to Sampson City. The Gainesville and Gulf was sold in 1906 and renamed the Tampa and Jacksonville or T&J. In 1900, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) was established and acquired the old Florida Railroad right-of-way through Gainesville. When the SAL bought the T&J in 1926, it was renamed the Jacksonville, Gainesville & Gulf. This line was abandoned in 1943." This is marker number F-473 and it was erected in 2003 by the Alachula County Historical Commission and the Florida Department of State. There is parking nearby and it is on the 6th Street Rail Trail if you're walking or biking. [Review 19892 overall - 1694 in Florida - 865 of 2023.]

Thank you to ACFR Station 80 A Shift! We visited yesterday with my nieces and nephew and the crew…read morewas very welcoming! They let the kids tour the station and sit on the fire engine and rescue. Thank you for being so kind!

Located on the north side of the road near Pine Avenue (US 27 / 441) and Silver Springs Blvd (SR…read more40), this marker points out a building that is no longer here and a man who did great things for the community. The marker reads, "In 1905, Dr. Richard Samuel Hughes II graduated from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, the second oldest African American medical school in the country. After moving to Ocala in 1908, Dr. Hughes helped form the American National Thrift Association (ANTA), a benevolent organization that offered prepaid health care plans, pensions, and other services to African Americans unable to get conventional health insurance. By 1925, ANTA converted the Savoy Hotel into a 50-bed hospital operated by Dr. Hughes and his nursing staff. White physicians from Munroe Memorial Hospital, including E.G. Peeks Sr., Thomas Wallis, and H.F. Watt, assisted Dr. Hughes by volunteering time. The ANTA hospital served the medical needs of African American communities in Marion County and surrounding areas, from Chiefland to Fort Myers. Dr. Hughes, along with other prominent physicians and surgeons from Meharry Medical College, conducted annual, week-long surgical clinics that provided African American patients with medical treatment and surgical procedures. Dr. Hughes died in 1943 and the hospital closed soon after, but his contributions are regarded as a significant advancement in healthcare access for Ocala's black community." This is marker numbeer F-1003 and it was erected in 2018 by the Dr. R.S. Hughes Family and the Florida Department of State. There is a lot across the street where you can stop to see the marker. [Review 1035 of 2024 - 1910 in Florida - 22063 overall]

Gainesville is home and so hard to rate. It's changed so much over the years, and sometimes…read moreunrecognizable. Graduation and the annual Nutcracker performance at the Phillips Center, plays at the Hippodrome, UF cheer and basketball camps at the O'Connell Center, proms held at the Women's Club, walking in the Gator parade, and UF homecoming being a local, public school holiday-- because #GatorNation. The Harn Museum of Art and Reitz Union after-school visits while waiting for my mom to get off work. It's a small, hipster, college town that's so full of art and culture. Now, I can liken it to having a tiny "keep Austin weird" -ish vibe. All in all-- Ode to Gainesville-- the backdrop of my childhood, and the occasional nostalgia-filled stomping grounds of my adulthood! Fave spots: The Top Sidecar/V Pizza Baby J's Dragonfly Mojo's Public & General Satchels Pizza Cheers!

For many, the city of Glainesville, Florida is known best as where Tom Petty came from. Others…read moreembrace it as the college town that it is. Gainesville, Florida was established in 1854 and was named in honor of Edmund Pendleton Gaines. Gainesville was incorporated in 1869 and chartered as a city in 1907. Gainesville has a lot going on for it and while the area around the university can be a bit crazy traffic-wise, it for the most part is an enjoyable place. Business takes me here somewhat frequently and I do have my favorite places to grab a meal and they have some nice parks to walk. Whatever your reasons might be to find yourself in Gainesville, Florida, I am sure you can make this an overall positive experience. Gainesville, Florida has come a long way since it was established in 1854 and Gainesville will continue to evolve and move forward.

Marion block building The Marion Block building was…read moreconstructed in 1885 by D.C. Wharton Smith of Philadelphia. The third floor originally contained the Marion Opera House which had seating for 800 people. The first floor contained the Court Pharmacy drugstore. Today at the entrance the word "Drug Co" still appears in the mosaic tile. Thi building is now Harry's seafood.

1804-1838…read more Osceola Monument October 23, 1834, the Seminole Indians met in council at these springs to discuss demands of the United States for their removal to the West. Osceola, then an obscure sub-chief, swayed the council with his oratory and set the Indians against removal. This was the real beginning of the Great Seminole War of 1835-42, in which, as head War-Chief, Osceola became an important Indian Military genius and strategist of American History. He was captured through deception and died at Fort Moultrie, Charleston, on January 30, 1838. Bernice West, Sculptor