Old Pensacola and Georgia Railroad Train Station in Lloyd FL

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The town of Lloyd was originally the site of a grist mill established by General William Bailey as a part of his extensive Jefferson County plantation holdings. It was located on the wagon road running eastward from Tallahassee to East Florida. In 1831, a post office was established at Bailey's Mill to serve the surrounding area.

Throughout the territorial and antebellum periods, Jefferson County was one of the major cotton producing areas of Middle Florida. Cotton grown here was sent by wagon road first to the towns of Magnolia, St. Marks or New Port on the St. Marks River and later to Tallahassee and thence to St. Marks by railroad. The only alternative was by way of the Wacissa River to the Gulf of Mexico and thence by barge to St. Marks. All of these alternative routes were difficult and uncertain. Therefore, Jefferson County planters were active supporters of railroad projects.

In 1856, the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad, in spite of its name, began construction of a rail line from Tallahassee to Lake City, where it would connect with the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Railroad line to Jacksonville. The P & G built a station at Bailey's Mill, designated Station Number Two. The P & G had previously bought up and rebuilt the Tallahassee Railroad to St. Marks. Thus, the depot at Bailey's Mill would give Jefferson County access to seaports on both the Atlantic and the Gulf coasts. In anticipation of the traffic, a forty foot platform for loading cotton was part of the original depot. The Civil War delayed the development of this commercial activity, but the post war recovery of the Jefferson County area soon established Station Number Two as a major shipping point on the line to Jacksonville.

In 1882, the name of the community and the railroad depot was changed to Lloyd, in honor of Walter Franklin Lloyd, a former New Yorker who had come to the area after the Civil War and been instrumental in the recovery of its commercial and agricultural life. In the following year, a railroad connection was completed between Tallahassee and Pensacola.

Other railroad expansion further enhanced the importance of the Lloyd Depot, which became a dinner stop for westbound passenger trains. Passenger schedules allowed twenty minutes for travelers to dine and refresh themselves at the Whitfield House, a nearby hotel, while mail and express shipments were transferred at the depot.

For half a century, the Lloyd Depot was the center of commercial transportation in Jefferson County. But the boll weevil infestation that destroyed cotton culture in the 1920's, the development of automotive transportation, and the economic depression of the 1930's all contributed to the rapid decline of its importance. The cotton platform was destroyed by fire in 1942, and was not replaced. The express and telegraph offices were maintained through the 1950's. Passenger service continued until 1966, when the station was closed, and donated by the Seaboard Coast Line to the Jefferson County Historical Society for preservation.

The Lloyd Depot is typical in both its physical characteristics and its history, of many rural railroad stations throughout the country. It is unique in Florida, however, as it is, in all probability, the only antebellum railroad building still standing.

Building Description

The old Lloyd Depot is a rectangular brick building which, due to numerous layers of peeling paint, has faded to a light yellow color. There are large wooden gables on the east and west ends of the station and wide eaves all the way around. The entire wall surface is divided into sections by brick pilaster-like projections beneath each of the eave supports. There are brick arches over all the windows and doors. On the west end of the station is a sliding wooden door, probably used as a freight entrance. On the south side of the building is a platform with its iron railing and freight pulley above. Originally a cotton platform about forty feet long and constructed of wood was located there, but fire destroyed it in 1942. The original building, including the cotton platform was about 34 feet by 92 feet. On the shallow pitched roof asbestos shingles have replaced the cypress shingles. There is one single brick chimney which is centrally located.

Inside the station, there are two waiting rooms 14 by 14 feet, a large office in which the telegraph table and ticket booth were located, and a freight office.

Due to its size and location, the depot presents a rather nostalgic picture. The overall condition of the building is fair, although much of the wood in the gable, eaves and window frames needs replacement. Most of the window frames are intact and the brick only requires repainting.

Southwest corner (1971)