This is a draft. It is published so it can be read and corrected, not because it is finished.
Railroad land grants in Township 33 South, Range 28 East
It is currently unknown whether any railroad’s land grant reached Township 33 South, Range 28 East during Florida’s railroad expansion era. The primary secondary source on the matter, J. E. Dovell’s “The Railroads and the Public Lands of Florida, 1879-1905,” is blocked by Cloudflare on the University of Central Florida STARS platform, preventing automated retrieval of the text.
General historical railroad maps of Florida from the era show projected and completed railroads, but do not outline specific land grant boundaries:
Drew’s new map of the state of Florida. Shows townships, completed and projected railroads, and railroad stations. Columbus Drew / Library of Congress [drew-map-1874]
Correct map of Florida. Features the “Tropical Trunk Line” and various railway and steamboat connections. South Publishing Co. / Library of Congress [south-pub-map-1895]
The Rand-McNally indexed county and township pocket map and shippers’ guide of Florida: shows all railroads, cities, towns, villages. Rand McNally and Company / Library of Congress [rand-mcnally-map-1900]
While there is an abandoned railroad bed documented in Township 33 South, Range 28 East—noted in modern Sebring Parkway permit applications—this reflects right-of-way construction rather than the boundaries of state land grants given to finance those railroads.
References
- dovell-1956 — The Railroads and the Public Lands of Florida, 1879-1905. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/
- drew-map-1874 — Drew’s new map of the state of Florida. bundle/media/drews-new-map-florida-1874.md
- south-pub-map-1895 — Correct map of Florida. bundle/media/correct-map-florida-tropical-trunk-line-1895.md
- rand-mcnally-map-1900 — The Rand-McNally indexed county and township pocket map and shippers’ guide of Florida. bundle/media/rand-mcnally-railroad-map-florida-1900.md
Where this comes from
- Evidence
- corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
- Review
- unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
- Rights
- public-domain
Sources
- The Railroads and the Public Lands of Florida, 1879-1905 · secondary
- Drew's new map of the state of Florida (bundle/media/drews-new-map-florida-1874.md) · archival
- Correct map of Florida (bundle/media/correct-map-florida-tropical-trunk-line-1895.md) · archival
- The Rand-McNally indexed county and township pocket map and shippers' guide of Florida (bundle/media/rand-mcnally-railroad-map-florida-1900.md) · archival
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