Evelyn C. McDonald
Arts & Leisure Reporter
April 7, 2016 9:30 a.m.
My observations on the arts and culture scene usually come after an event. This time I thought I would give you a before version so that you might enjoy this event. On April 16, the West Nassau Historical Society will host Railroad Days at the historic 1881 Callahan Train Depot. The event is from 9 am to 5 pm.
Stay with me here. I know the thoughts of driving out to Callahan are akin to traveling cross-country to some of you. I drove out there this week. It is 26.2 miles (on what planet is that “so far away?”). It took me 40 minutes, most of that spent negotiating #A1A between here and I-95. Once you go under I-95, you are on a lovely wide road with a 65 mph speed limit, lots of trees, and no commercial development.
Railroad Days celebrates the importance of rail transportation in the history of our area. This year Railroad Days will have some new features. There’s a new entertainment stage that will be unveiled on the back lawn. There will be exhibits showcasing the railroad hobos and their skills at recycling and reusing items while riding the rails. The children can enjoy jump houses, slides, barrel trains, and Hobo games. Steam driven engines, tractors and trains will be on display. Some of the larger model trains will run on a track. Arts and crafts vendors will offer a wide variety of wares. Food vendors will be operating all day.
The Callahan Train Depot houses a museum with 130 years of railroad memorabilia, old maps, and a photo collection from the area around Callahan and Hilliard. Through its collections, you can get a picture of the growth of the county. The railroad memorabilia includes crossing signs, lanterns, station agents’ telephones, oil cans, tools, and railroad advertising.
Some of the maps date from the mid-1700s and 1800s. The railroad itself was started in Fernandina Beach through the efforts of David Yulee sometime around 1854. It extended to and through Callahan around 1856 and continued across Florida to Cedar Key where it ended in 1861.
Railroad Days is a major fund-raiser for the West Nassau Historical Society. The society is in the process of archiving and tracking all of their collection with the potential of making it available digitally. The website is www.wnhsfl.org . On it you will find, a wealth of information on the museum and the annual events. There is also a brief history of Nassau County.
On a nice day, Callahan is an easy trip. It’s an event that’s worth the risk of the troll under the Shave Bridge and the serpentines of #A1A road construction.
Evelyn McDonald moved to Fernandina Beach from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 2006. She is a chair of Arts & Culture Nassau, a city commission charged with support of the arts in Nassau County. She serves on FSCJ’s Curriculum Committee for the Center for Lifelong Learning. She is also the chair of the Dean’s Council for the Carpenter Library at the UNF. Ms. McDonald has MS in Technology Management from the University of Maryland’s University College and a BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan.