A Guide to the Long Key and Conch Key Bridge Plans

Overview

Historical Note

The Long Key - Conch Key Viaduct was one of the most significant bridges of the Florida East Coast Railway Oversea Extension. It was monumental, resembling a Roman aqueduct, consisting of 180 arches and 2.6 miles in length, and it was used as the FEC's logo on promotional material between 1913 and 1936. The viaduct opened in 1907, and connected Islamorada and Long Key. Conch Key, noted on many of the drawings, is a 16 acre island just southwest of Long Key.

Construction of the Oversea Extension began in 1905 and took seven years to complete. The project extended the railway south from Miami through Homestead and the Florida Keys to Key West.

much of the track and stations, and killed between 400 and 600 people. Due to the large amount of funds needed to restore the line, the railroad was abandoned. The bridges remained intact for the most part and were incorporated into the Overseas Highway. The state of Florida built the Long Key bridge in the 1980s, and the remains of Long Key Viaduct then became a sightseeing and fishing pier.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of 65 drawings of piers, arches, reinforced concrete rods, and other details such as arch openings and pier abutments. The Long Key - Conch Key Viaduct drawings date from 1905 and 1906, the years of its construction. Also included are drawings of other sections of the Key West Extension.

The drawings are rolled onto tubes and kept in their original order.

Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Permission from Historical Museum of Southern Florida staff required prior to reproduction of items in a publication. Please contact archives staff for more information.

Index Terms

Conch Key (Fla.)
Florida East Coat Railway. Oversea Extension.
Long Key (Fla.)
Long Key Viaduct (Florida Keys, Fla.)
Railroad bridges

Administrative Information

Historical Museum of Southern Florida

Gift of Jerry Wilkinson, 2008.

Bibliography

Bramson, Seth H. Florida East Coast Railway. Charleston, S. C. : Arcadia Publishing, 2006.

Bramson, Seth. Speedway to Sunshine : the Story of the Florida East Coast Railway. Rev. ed. Erin, ON : Boston Mills Press, 2003.

Corliss, Carlton J. "Building the Overseas Railway to Key West." Tequesta, Number XIII (1953)

Florida East Coast Railway. The Story of a Pioneer: a Brief History of the Florida East Coast Railway and its Part in the Remarkable Development of the Florida East Coast. St. Augustine: Florida East Coast Railway, 1946.

Hopkins, Alice. "The Development of the Overseas Highway." Tequesta, no. 46 (1986), p. 48-58.

Saunders, William H. "The Wreck of Houseboat No. 4, October 1906." Tequesta, Number XIX (1959)

Turner, Gregg. "A Short History of Florida Railroads." Charleston, S. C. : Arcadia Publishing, 2003

Container List