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In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971 and&nbsp;CSX acquired the track and property of this line&nbsp;during the next two decades,&nbsp;competing the consolidation of the industry represented by the creation of the Seaboard Air Line in 1900.

This historic station served passengers between 1927 and 1995.

This map shows the passenger routes operated by the rail line in 1950, along with connections to major railroads in the Southwest and Northeast

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Learn more about the history of Southern railroads

Historic images and photos of Seaboard Air Line

Constructed between 1926 and 1927, this historic railroad depot served as a passenger station for Delray Beach until 1995. Seaboard Air Line Railroad was formed in 1900 as a combination of over a dozen railroad companies that operated from Virginia and the Carolina to Georgia and Florida. The company operated between 1900 and 1967 when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad.   In the early decades of the 1900s (before commercial air travel) the term "air-line" was a derivative of the phrase "as the crow flies" and meant the shortest distance between two points. Railroad companies used the term to connote efficiency--a way of suggesting that their lines connected destinations more directly than other rail lines. 

Seaboard Air Line Railroad Station

This tour includes several historical landmarks, buildings, and markers, as well as a few historic places and events that have been largely lost to time. The tour covers several beautiful miles of the city and coast and passes by numerous cafes and shops. Enjoy the history of our city!

The LaFrance Hotel was the first African American-owned hotel in Delray Beach. It was established in 1949 and was also one of the first hotels in the Southeastern part of Florida which allowed room rentals by African Americans. The hotel was owned by a Mr. Charlie Patrick who named the hotel after his wife,&nbsp;Francenia Patrick. When the hotel was&nbsp;originally&nbsp;established, it housed sixteen rooms and two bathrooms within its two-story structure. The cost to stay at the time was around thirty-five dollars a week.&nbsp; Delray Beach grew slowly in the&nbsp;19th century, with the&nbsp;first non-Native American inhabitants arriving in 1841. The population began to grow in the late 1800s owing to an agricultural boom and the arrival of the railroad. In 1894, the community of Linton was established at the location of present-day Delray Beach by fourteen African American families. The town was named after one of the founding families. In 1896, the Florida East Coast Railroad made its first arrival in the town of Linton. A series of bank foreclosures on Linton's properties forced most of the original Black families to leave. The town changed its name to Delray in November of 1898. South Florida quickly became a destination for resorts and agricultural labor following the turn-of-the-century. The extension&nbsp;of the Florida East Coast Railroad to&nbsp;Miami helped the cause as white farmers during the time relied heavily on the work of African American laborers to plant and harvest crops. Black women also worked in the fields or worked in the homes of wealthy and middle-class homes. The creation of this hotel provided a place to live for many of these workers,&nbsp;and also provided quarters for traveling Black entertainers.&nbsp; Eventually, LaFrance Hotel faced declining business prospects as segregation was abolished and locally-owned hotels lost business to the growing hotel chains that were open to all. The Delray Beach Community Developing Agency bought the former hotel in 2004 and the structure now holds rent-controlled apartments for seniors.

Upon its opening in 1949, LaFrance Hotel became the first hotel in Delray Beach that allowed African Americans the opportunity to rent a room. Like most hotels that catered to African Americans in the South, the hotel was owned by an African American businessman. Charles Patrick operated the hotel which provided the only hotel for vacationing families and Black workers between Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The significance of the hotel becomes clear when one looks at the history of the area as a place of seasonal employment, offering Black laborers a place to stay while seeking long-term accommodations. Today, the building is used as housing for senior citizens. 

LaFrance Hotel (Delray Beach 1949-1972)

Locals and tourists alike can come learn the history of Delray Beach, "an historic village by the sea" at the Ethel Sterling Williams Archive & Learning Center. Named in honor of the matron of of one of South Florida's leading pioneer families, the Center tells the story of an area that had been home to Native peoples but was completely uninhabited until 1894. In that year, a small band of people of African and Seminole descent established the first settlement in the region. Speculators soon followed, purchasing land and creating a small farming village that would soon become a popular location for tourists and winter guests. 

Ethel Sterling Williams Archive & Learning Center

Operated by the Delray Beach Historical Society, the Cason Cottage Museum offers exhibits about South Florida history and culture in a historic house that features furnishings from the 1920s and 1930s. Guests will also enjoy the home's garden which includes a variety of local plants. The Society operates a small gift shop on site that offers a variety of books on South Florida history. Docents offer guided tours at this location, as well as the nearby Ethel Sterling Williams Archive & Learning Center. 

Cason Cottage Museum

The Colony Hotel is part of the Historic Hotels of America.&nbsp;Hotel guests have access to the&nbsp;Colony Cabana Club, a private beach club located two miles from the hotel.

Martin Luther Hampton designed and built the Colony Hotel in 1926. The hotel was inspired by classic Florida Mediterranean architecture which has been preserved in nearly every detail of the hotel from its lobby to its dining rooms and guest rooms. In 1935, George and Agnes Boughton purchased the hotel in 1935 and their descendents continue to own and care for the historic property. Visitors to Delray Beach who want to learn or simply soak in the history of Atlantic Avenue and the "Village by the Sea" will want to spend a few hours enjoying cocktails in the hotel bar and its patio which offers some of the best views of the downtown entertainment district. 

Colony Hotel

Hannibal Dillingham Pierce, an assistant lighthouse keeper at the Jupiter Lighthouse, served as the first keeper and lived here with his&nbsp;wife Margretta Moore and son Charles William. When Margaretta gave birth to&nbsp;Lillie Elder Pierce in&nbsp;1876, Lillie likely became&nbsp;the first child of European origin to be born in this section of Florida. Shortly after the new station's&nbsp;completion,&nbsp; Steven Andrews was hired as a&nbsp;permanent&nbsp;keeper and lived here with his wife&nbsp;Anne for nearly twenty years. The position likely caused tremendous loneliness,&nbsp;although&nbsp;the government allowed&nbsp;travelers and a handful of short-term&nbsp;boarders to rent space in the stations-both as a way to defray expenses and to provide extra help for the keepers.&nbsp;Andrews resigned the position in 1896 and the&nbsp;government closed the facility shortly after that time and rented it to some of the early settlers of Linton (later known as Delray Beach).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The former station remained a place of interest for residents and beach-goers until it was destroyed by fire in 1927. The area was excavated by high school students in the 1940s, and in 1968, the history of the Orange Grove House of Refuge was commemorated by a historic marker.&nbsp;&nbsp;

One of five life-saving stations and temporary houses of refuge built by the federal government in 1876 along Florida’s east coast, the Orange Grove House of Refuge operated between 1876 and 1896. The government employed keepers at each of the five houses. These men scoured the beaches in search of possible shipwreck survivors and operate each of the houses of refuge. The keeper of this station and his family occupied the four rooms on the first floor and the second floor held a large dormitory and supplies for shipwrecked sailors or other survivors. The government built four additional houses of refuge in the 1880s. Only one of these nine stations remain-a historic building that serves as a museum in Stuart, Florida. Click the links below for more information about this House of Refuge and the museum.

Orange Grove House of Refuge No. 3, 1876-1927

The old shipwreck known as the Delray Wreck rests at the bottom of the ocean in 25 feet of water about 150 yards offshore the south end of Delray’s municipal beach. The wreck is broken and scattered into five sections and has long been one of the most popular diving spots in South Florida.The S.S. INCHULVA was grounded and wrecked by a fierce hurricane on September 11, 1903. Under the command of Captain G.W. Davis, the 386 foot steel hulled British steamship was bound for Newport News, Virginia from Galveston, Texas carrying wheat, cotton, lumber and a crew of 28 men.The storm struck about 5 p.m., tossing the ship and causing the cargo to shift. Steering became impossible, so Captain Davis put out both anchors, but to no avail. The anchors parted and the INCHULVA grounded and was ripped apart. Nine crew members were lost.Dawn revealed to the battered crew that land and a town were just a short distance away. By noon, all the men except Captain Davis and two mates had landed on shore in a small hastily-built raft. They found hot food and coffee at the Chapman House, a local hotel, where many of Delray’s residents had taken shelter during the storm.The nine seamen who lost their lives were buried on the ridge overlooking the ocean where the ship had gone down. The surviving crew members were treated, paid and sent&nbsp;Before leaving for their homes, each crew member signed the guest register of the Chapman House. Under their names they wrote, “Shipwrecked in the S.S. INCHULVA, September 11, 1903, landed on a raft September 12th and received every kindness and attention at the hands of Mrs. Chapman.”Captain Davis, his Chief Officer, a 2nd Officer and a seaman from the ship were brought before the Naval Court held at the British Vice Consulate at Jacksonville on September 19th. The Court exonerated the Captain and the crew from all blame.

This historic marker commemorates the victims of a storm that caused the sinking of the S.S. Inchulva on September 11, 1903. Nineteen crew members were able to reach the shore by using parts f the wrecked ship as a makeshift raft. The remaining nine seamen lost their lives. 

History of Delray Beach Walking/Driving Tour

Seaboard Air Line Railroad Station

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information