The Laker/Lutz News

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

Museum aims to tell Dade City’s story

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When people visit The Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum they’ll not only have a chance to learn about Dade City’s history but also to get to feel — literally — objects that are part of the city’s past.

Joy Lynn, director of the museum, said the idea is to give visitors a true hands-on experience.

Items on loan to the museum will be kept behind glass, but many of the objects in the collection will be available for guests to pick up and hold.

The Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum is housed within the Dade City Atlantic Coast Line Depot. The depot building was built in 1912, to replace an earlier frame structure that had been about a quarter-mile north of the building. It was the first site in Pasco County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to a plaque on the building. (B.C. Manion)

Also, instead of reading all about the items on display, museum staff will share stories about the items with visitors, Lynn said.

It’s important that items kept in the collection help reveal Dade City’s history, Lynn said.

Objects on display at the museum must be from Dade City proper, not some nearby place, the museum director said. They also need to help provide a glimpse into the city’s history.

“Most everything in the building has a story, or some significance that will develop a memory when you leave here,” the museum director said.

“If it doesn’t have a significant story — you can buy it at a yard sale, it’s just a piece,” she said.

The official ribbon cutting for the train depot museum was on Feb. 14, a date deliberately chosen to signify that history and heritage are at the heart of Dade City, Lynn said.

The train depot, where the museum is housed, also has a rich history.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

It was built in 1912 by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, now known as CSX. Originally, it accommodated freight and passenger traffic.

Ask museum staff to get details regarding the history of this trunk and quilt.

“Designed in a traditional style for southern railroad depots constructed in the late 19th and early 20th century, this building is utilitarian in layout, yet possesses finely crafted structural and ornamental Folk Victorian style details,” according to documents related to its historic designation.

The building’s architectural elements include gable dormers, bay window, wraparound loading platform, and interior finishes, the document says.

“Railroad stations served as major community commercial and social centers, linking each of the small towns with the rest of the world. At the turn of the century, therefore, railroads and associated depots play a significant role in the development of central Florida communities, such as Dade City,” the document adds.

A display of some old photographs and old cameras.

“Of the four historic railroad depots that have served Dade City, the Dade City Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot is the only one that remains,” the document continues.

In addition to the collection at the museum, staff will help tell Dade City’s story through downtown walking tours.

The walking tours are offered on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The museum also plans to present a Haunted History walking tour on the first Friday evening of the month, which it held for the first time on April 5.

To find out more about the museum and its events, visit DadeCityHeritageMuseum.org.

The Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum
Where: 14206 U.S. 98 Bypass, Dade City
When: Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Wednesdays
Cost: Suggested $5 donation
Details: The museum offers visitors a chance to see artifacts from Dade City and to hear the stories behind them. In addition to visiting the museum, it also is possible to learn about Dade City’s history by taking a walking tour downtown. Those are offered on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Info: Call (352) 424-5778, or visit DadeCityHeritageMuseum.org.

Published April 10, 2019

Pioneer descendants receive honor

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On the momentous occasion when Florida issued its first drivers’ licenses in 1940, Ruth Smith made history.

County Judge O. L. Dayton Jr., pulled a desk into the hallway at the Dade City courthouse and plopped the 17-year-old into a chair in front of a manual typewriter.

“People lined up and stood as I typed up the first driver’s license in Pasco County,” said Ruth Smith Adams, now age 93. “I even typed up my mother and father’s (licenses). That’s probably before most of you were born. Here, I’m back this time, and it’s amazing.”

Ruth Smith Adams and brother, Bill Smith, received a resolution from the Pasco County Commission thanking them for efforts to preserve the heritage of Pasco County and Wesley Chapel. From left, front row: Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, Pasco County Clerk of Court Paula O’ Neil, Bill Smith, Ruth Smith Adams, Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey and Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano. From left, back row: Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker and Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder. (Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)
Ruth Smith Adams and brother, Bill Smith, received a resolution from the Pasco County Commission thanking them for efforts to preserve the heritage of Pasco County and Wesley Chapel. From left, front row: Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, Pasco County Clerk of Court Paula O’ Neil, Bill Smith, Ruth Smith Adams, Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey and Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano. From left, back row: Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker and Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

Adams was addressing the Pasco County Commission, which was bestowing a resolution it passed honoring her and her 91-year-old brother, Bill Smith, for their work in preserving the heritage of Wesley Chapel and Pasco County.

They accepted the resolution on June 7 in what is now the Dade City Historic Courthouse.

The siblings are descendants of one of Pasco’s pioneering families dating back to 1867 when their great-grandfather, William R. Smith, settled in Wesley Chapel after the Civil War. In 1883, the elder Smith became owner of 160 acres of open land under the Homestead Act of 1862. He married Annie E. Sims and had six children, including Daniel Smith, the grandfather of Adams and Bill Smith.

Wesley Chapel remained part of Hernando County until 1887, when maps were redrawn to create Pasco.

Local historian Madonna Jervis Wise recorded the memories and recollections of Adams and Smith during hours of interviews for her book, “Images of America: Wesley Chapel.”

The pair also provided Wise with documents including homesteading deeds and photographs. And, they assisted her in drawing a map of area settlements in the 1900s.

“This is quite an honor,” Smith told commissioners.

He recounted the day in 1941 that he walked out of a Zephyrhills’ movie house after seeing a John Wayne western.

Ruth Smith Adams and her brother, Bill Smith, are descendants of one of the pioneer families that settled Wesley Chapel.
Ruth Smith Adams and her brother, Bill Smith, are descendants of one of the pioneer families that settled Wesley Chapel.

“I started walking and someone came running down the street, yelling that (Japan) had bombed Pearl Harbor,” said Smith, who was 16 at the time.

He joined the U.S. Army when he was 19 and was shipped to the Philippines. He was there when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on two Japanese cities.

“I saw Nagasaki when it was still smoking,” said Smith, during a telephone interview.

Back home he worked for a while on the family ranch, later joining a seaman’s union and working on cargo ships for a couple of years. He also worked as a coalman for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad before again returning to help with the family’s cattle and citrus farming endeavors.

His father, Luther Smith, was the son of Daniel Smith and Elizabeth Geiger Smith, who was born near Zephyrhills. To honor Daniel and Elizabeth’s marriage, friends and family held a barn raising to build their home in 1894.

This is the map of pioneer families in Wesley Chapel, as recalled by Ruth Smith Adams and her brother, Bill Smith. The Smiths were instrumental in helping Madonna Jervis Wise , research the community’s history for her book, “Images of America: Wesley Chapel.” (Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)
This is the map of pioneer families in Wesley Chapel, as recalled by Ruth Smith Adams and her brother, Bill Smith. The Smiths were instrumental in helping Madonna Jervis Wise , research the community’s history for her book, “Images of America: Wesley Chapel.”
(Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)

Luther Smith helped bring electricity to Wesley Chapel in the 1940s when he served on the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative. The cooperative then was part of the Rural Electric Administration, a federal agency created in 1935.

Luther Smith’s home was located off Smith Road in Wesley Chapel.

In 1979 the family donated the pioneer, cracker-style home of Luther Daniel Smith to Cracker Country, a living museum located at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Hillsborough County.

When the house was moved there initially, members of the Smith family participated in special pioneer days and shared memories of life in Wesley Chapel and Pasco. Later, fair officials recruited volunteers to take over those duties.

According to the resolution, Smith and Adams remember a heritage of “open range, general stores over time, the Fifth Sunday Sings (Singing Convention) which so defined Wesley Chapel culture, the weekly rodeo, and the economic mainstays of timbering, turpentine, and ranching, as well as family farming, charcoal making, moonshining and hunting.”

Wesley Chapel was also known for The Singing Convention, which was held any month there was a fifth Sunday, Wise said. Families gathered, spread picnic lunches outdoors on orange crates, and enjoyed songs and music, Bill Smith said.

The siblings also recalled traveling to Zephyrhills every Saturday for grocery shopping. Their mother carried homegrown vegetables and eggs to trade for supplies.

“They wanted to tell a positive story, and I think there is something to be said for that,” said Wise. “They really are preservers of history.”

Published July 13, 2016

New Dade City Hall ready for debut

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Dade City residents will get their first official peek inside their new City Hall at a ribbon cutting on March 11 at 10:30 a.m.

City employees and law enforcement officers, however, are already getting accustomed to the new, 22,000-square-foot building. They moved in about three weeks ago.

“We’ve gotten settled in,” said Gordon Onderdonk, the city’s public works director.

(Courtesy of Wannemacher Jensen Architects)
(Courtesy of Wannemacher Jensen Architects)

Now, it’s the public’s turn to explore the new seat of city government, and the headquarters for the Dade City police department.

Ribbon-cutting festivities will include a performance by the Pasco High School Band, as well as speeches by guest speakers, a flag raising and a rendition of the national anthem. Those attending will be able to go on guided tours of the complex, and refreshments will be served.

Wannemacher Jensen Architects created a design for two separate buildings that are joined by an entryway canopy and a courtyard. One side of the complex houses city offices; the other is headquarters for the Dade City police force.

In preparation of the celebration, the Dade City Commission approved the temporary closure of Meridian Avenue from Fifth Street to the U.S. 98 Bypass from 8 a.m. to noon on March 11.

Construction on the new City Hall began in March 2015 on the site of the old building.

In the 1920s, developers planned a hotel at the location, but that was never completed.

During the Depression, the building found new life as a federal work project and served as the hub of city government for decades.

Through the years, city agencies outgrew the space and moved into other buildings.

During construction, some City Hall employees were relocated to an annex building and to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot on U.S. 98 at U.S. 301.

Consolidating offices in one building will make it easier for people to do business with the city, Onderdonk said.

“This is one-stop shopping for them to take care of everything. It’s all in the same building and will be convenient,” he said.

The city’s police department vacated its previous location on Pasco Avenue.

The new facility has typical features of a police department, including interview rooms, holding cells, a booking area, a special area for the K-9 unit and a conference room. But, there also is new and upgraded technology.

The city commission chamber also will benefit from technology upgrades, including a projector screen that will make it easier to observe meetings.

The approximately $5.9 million budget for the building’s construction came from the countywide Penny for Pasco program and the city’s reserve fund.

Published March 2, 2016

Russian politics played a role in San Antonio train depot

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The history of a train depot building in San Antonio is rooted in political uncertainty in Russia roughly 135 years ago.

On Feb. 17, 1880, a second assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander II occurred in the imperial dining room of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Terrorists blew up the dining room, killing or maiming 67 people – but the emperor wasn’t present during the attempt on his life.

The Orange Belt No. 203 was the primary locomotive that was used for the tourist line between San Antonio and Blanton in 1976. It was built in 1925 for the Washington & Lincolnton railroad that ran out of Lincolnton, Georgia. When it had mechanical problems, the railroad was able to lease Orange Belt No. 11. (Courtesy Jack Bejna/railroadpictures.net)
The Orange Belt No. 203 was the primary locomotive that was used for the tourist line between San Antonio and Blanton in 1976. It was built in 1925 for the Washington & Lincolnton railroad that ran out of Lincolnton, Georgia. When it had mechanical problems, the railroad was able to lease Orange Belt No. 11.
(Courtesy Jack Bejna/railroadpictures.net)

The previous year, nitroglycerine was used in a failed effort to destroy Alexander II’s train. And, there was the unsuccessful mission to blow up the Kamenny Bridge in St. Petersburg as the tsar was passing over it.

These events, and the political uncertainty that followed them, prompted Piotr Alexandrovitch Dementieff, a Russian nobleman, to flee to Florida as a Russian exile.

Dementieff, who later shortened his name to Peter A. Demens, would go on to become a co-founder of St. Petersburg, Florida.

And, the city would become home to the southern terminus for one of the longest narrow gauge railroads in the United States at the time of its completion in 1888.

The decision to locate a railway line in St. Petersburg was made during the same time that Henry B. Plant was opening up a rail line near Port Tampa, which had a depth of 5 feet.

St. Petersburg, by comparison, had a harbor with a depth of 18 feet, enabling it to import and export more cargo.

With dozens of railroads competing in Florida, Demens saw an advantage in running a railroad north from St. Petersburg to transport the area’s abundant long-leaf yellow pine and its citrus.

Known as the Orange Belt Railway, the mainline was 152 miles long.

It was the first to cross central Pasco County diagonally — through Trilby, San Antonio, Ehren, Drexel and Odessa.

The Orange Belt Railway also played a role in the development of other towns along its route including Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Clearwater and Largo.

San Antonio’s historic depot is the last one remaining on the Orange Belt Railway. The railway crossed Pasco County for 80 years, connecting northern markets in the St. Johns River area with St. Petersburg. The depot was completely restored in 1996 with a $15,600 preservation grant from the state, plus a $25,000 contribution from Pasco County and countless hours of volunteer help. The depot currently serves as railroad museum, a community building and a voting precinct location. (Doug Sanders/Photo)
San Antonio’s historic depot is the last one remaining on the Orange Belt Railway. The railway crossed Pasco County for 80 years, connecting northern markets in the St. Johns River area with St. Petersburg. The depot was completely restored in 1996 with a $15,600 preservation grant from the state, plus a $25,000 contribution from Pasco County and countless hours of volunteer help. The depot currently serves as railroad museum, a community building and a voting precinct location.
(Doug Sanders/Photo)

As a narrow gauge (3 feet) railway company, Demens had arranged for some incredible financing — which left him in debt with angry capitalists in Philadelphia.

“At one time, his creditors chained his locomotives to the tracks,” writes Glen Dill for The Suncoast News in August 1988. “At another time, his unpaid track-laying crew stormed after him on a hand car, planning to lynch him.”

The Orange Belt faced many hardships in its early years due to debt run up during various phases of construction.

Frigid temperatures during the Great Freeze of 1894-1895 killed many citrus groves in Florida.

The freeze also ended Demens’ ownership of the Orange Belt.

Within weeks, he sold the Orange Belt Railway to railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant.

Plant converted most of the railway to standard gauge (4 feet 8 1⁄2 inches), which made it more profitable.

In 1902, the Plant system became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Passengers would later ride on that railroad in luxury Pullman railcars with sleeper berths during Florida’s land boom in the 1920s.

As cars, buses and planes took more passengers, the Atlantic Coast Line discontinued its train service in 1970.

The depot in San Antonio was left abandoned and forgotten until 1976, when a group of Tampa residents organized under the name of Robert Most and Associates. They took passengers on a round-trip railroad excursion, typically a 90-minute trip, from San Antonio to Blanton on weekends and holidays.

The last ride took place on Feb. 21, 1978.

Sections of the Orange Belt rail line are now part of the Pinellas Trail in Pinellas County, the South Lake Minneola Scenic Trail in Lake County and the West Orange Trail in Orange County.

The depot in San Antonio is a reminder of the vibrant role that railroads played during the early days of Florida’s development.

The historic depot is the last one remaining on the Orange Belt Railway, which crossed Pasco County for 80 years, connecting northern markets in the St. Johns River area with St. Petersburg.

The depot was completely restored in 1996 with a $15,600 preservation grant from the state, plus a $25,000 contribution from Pasco County and countless hours of volunteer help.

With a history that had its roots in politics, the San Antonio depot also has a connection to political life today.

Besides serving as a railroad museum and community building, it’s a voting precinct, too.

Peter Demens won a coin toss, according to a local legend, and named St. Petersburg, Florida, after his hometown in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Demens was selected as a Great Floridian in 2000 by the Florida Department of State and the Florida League of Cities.

By Doug Sanders

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published December 9, 2015