Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad was a Florida
railroad line
charted in 1869. It consisted of the former Pensacola and Georgia Railroad
, which ran east from Quincy, Florida
through Tallahassee
to Lake City, Florida
, and the subsequently consolidated Florida Central Railroad, which had been renamed the year before from the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad
, and which ran east from Lake City to Jacksonville
.
George W. Swepson
, a notorious carpetbagger
, purchased both the P&G and the FA&GC in 1868 and, after renaming the FA&GC the Florida Central, set his carpetbagging protege, Milton S. Littlefield
-- a former Union general known as the "Prince of Carpetbaggers" -- loose in Tallahassee to buy, cheat, and otherwise defraud Florida legislators in order to obtain a new charter for a railroad that Littlefield promised would be extended west from Quincy to Pensacola
.
Backed by $6 million in capitalization, the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad came into being in June 1869, and was organized the following month in New York City with Littlefield as president. The original charter did not consolidate the Florida Central into the JP&M; this did not occur until the Florida legislature amended the charter in 1870. Littlefield and Swepson then launched a major swindle, personally enriching themselves from the sales of company bonds to unwitting investors. Due to the embezzling of such funds, the company was unable to extend the line to Pensacola, reaching only an additional 20 miles to Chattahoochee
instead. By 1879, the U.S. Supreme Court
had a lien placed on the railroad's assets.
In 1882, the JP&M and the Florida Central were acquired by Sir Edward Reed
, and were renamed together as the Florida Central and Western Railroad
. Two years later, Reed brought the Florida Central and Western and several other Florida railroads he had purchased under the umbrella of what was named the Florida Railway and Navigation Company, which, in 1888, was renamed the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad
(FC&P). In 1900, a year after purchasing the majority of FC&P stock, the newly organized Seaboard Air Line Railway
(now CSX Transportation
) leased the FC&P and, in 1903, acquired it outright.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
railroad line
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
charted in 1869. It consisted of the former Pensacola and Georgia Railroad
Pensacola and Georgia Railroad
The Pensacola and Georgia Railroad was a railroad line chartered in January 1853 that, by 1863, ran from Tallahassee, Florida east to Lake City, Florida and west to Quincy, Florida...
, which ran east from Quincy, Florida
Quincy, Florida
Quincy is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,982 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,975...
through Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
to Lake City, Florida
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...
, and the subsequently consolidated Florida Central Railroad, which had been renamed the year before from the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad
Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad
The Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad was a railroad company that, in 1860, completed a railroad line running from Jacksonville, Florida, west to Lake City, Florida...
, and which ran east from Lake City to Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
George W. Swepson
George William Swepson
George William Swepson was a carpetbagger and a swindler. notable for his involvement in the 1868 North Carolina railroad bonds scandal.-References:...
, a notorious carpetbagger
Carpetbagger
Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....
, purchased both the P&G and the FA&GC in 1868 and, after renaming the FA&GC the Florida Central, set his carpetbagging protege, Milton S. Littlefield
Milton Smith Littlefield
General Milton Smith Littlefield was dubbed the "Prince of the Carpetbaggers" during the Reconstruction Era in the southern state of North Carolina. He was a Union General during the United States Civil War.-Biography:...
-- a former Union general known as the "Prince of Carpetbaggers" -- loose in Tallahassee to buy, cheat, and otherwise defraud Florida legislators in order to obtain a new charter for a railroad that Littlefield promised would be extended west from Quincy to Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
.
Backed by $6 million in capitalization, the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad came into being in June 1869, and was organized the following month in New York City with Littlefield as president. The original charter did not consolidate the Florida Central into the JP&M; this did not occur until the Florida legislature amended the charter in 1870. Littlefield and Swepson then launched a major swindle, personally enriching themselves from the sales of company bonds to unwitting investors. Due to the embezzling of such funds, the company was unable to extend the line to Pensacola, reaching only an additional 20 miles to Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee, Florida
Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,287 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 3,720. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Chattahoochee is...
instead. By 1879, the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
had a lien placed on the railroad's assets.
In 1882, the JP&M and the Florida Central were acquired by Sir Edward Reed
Edward James Reed
Sir Edward James Reed , KCB, FRS, was a British naval architect, author, politician, and railroad magnate. He was the Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1863 until 1870...
, and were renamed together as the Florida Central and Western Railroad
Florida Central and Western Railroad
The Florida Central and Western Railroad was a railroad company that was the 1882 reincarnation of the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad , which ran from Lake City, Florida, west to Chattahoochee, Florida The Florida Central and Western Railroad was a railroad company that was the 1882...
. Two years later, Reed brought the Florida Central and Western and several other Florida railroads he had purchased under the umbrella of what was named the Florida Railway and Navigation Company, which, in 1888, was renamed the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad
Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad
The Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad was the final name of a system of railroads throughout Florida, becoming part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900...
(FC&P). In 1900, a year after purchasing the majority of FC&P stock, the newly organized Seaboard Air Line Railway
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
(now CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
) leased the FC&P and, in 1903, acquired it outright.