Western Railroad Discussion > Florence, KS in twilight

Rumor has it the former Santa Fe depot at Florence, KS will torn down in the coming year. But you know RR rumors; they're never true. Unless they're true.
These shots of the depot in the near twilight of Halloween 2012 could become doubly appropriate if indeed the depot comes down in the near future.
Who knows...

1. AT&SF Florence depot in the coming twilight of Halloween Night, October 31, 2012.

2. & 3. That's BNSF 4800 on an EB manifest re-route passing underneath US hwy 77 just west of the Florence depot.

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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If this untrue rumor is true, then I'm glad I got my shots this
past summer. Thanks again, Sir L.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Lets hope not,but it might be Florence doesn't have to the monny to presrve it.

They'll put a new roof on it first, THEN tear it down.

Posted from Android

Florence is 11 MPs east of my hometown, Peabody. We lost our SF depot over 20 years ago. A major concern with the Florence depot is that it is on the wrong side of the flood protection levee. It would be difficult to attract money to the building when it could get inundated by water any spring. In the 1951 flood the water was 8 to 10 feet deep on Main Street in Florence.

There were three classic brick depots on the First District of the Santa Fe Middle Division: Strong City (which I assume is still there) Peabody (which I believe is gone) and Florence. If they tear down the depot at Florence that would leave just Strong City as an example of that kind of architecture. The depot at Mulvane is of that same type I believe. Brick depots at Augusta and Halstead were not quite as aesthetic. Other brick Santa Fe depots in Kansas: Kinsley, Stafford, Garden City, Syracuse, Winfield, Burrton? I suppose there was some in SE Kansas too, but I've never been to that part of the state.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/12 09:59 by WichitaJct.

WichitaJct Wrote:

> Other brick
> Santa Fe depots in Kansas: Kinsley, Stafford,
> Garden City, Syracuse, Winfield, Burrton?

Kinsley was demolished in 1999. Burrton was a Frisco-design frame depot located at the diamond, and has been gone for several decades:

http://thelibrary.org/lochist/frisco/allaboard/Optimized/1995_fa_v10_3_18.pdf

(The small brick AVI depot at Burrton still stood at last report, however).

Other brick "county seat" depots built in 1907-08 to the same general plan as Florence exist at Rocky Ford and Lamar, CO and Garden City, KS. There used to be several more, but they fell to the wrecking ball decades ago: Peabody, Independence, El Dorado, and Iola, KS. The depot at Baldwin City, KS, built in 1906, is similar to Florence but smaller and with arched windows. Around 1908-09, Santa Fe modified the plan again with a rectangular bay window on the front, but still a half-hexagonal bay window on the end. Surviving examples include Sterling and Larned, KS and Las Animas, CO. In 1910 or so, Santa Fe brick depot styling changed quite a bit - the floorplan became "cruciform" with prominent bay windows on both sides, and the hip roof gave way to a pitched roof with support brackets, among other detail differences. There were sub-variations within that style, too, but Mulvane and Stafford fall into that general catagory.

Of course, no two depots are exactly alike. While it's impossible to save everything, it would be a shame at this late date to see a depot like Florence get torn down (see also Kiowa, KS and Seligman, AZ). Thanks for the photos, Lance - we'll have those if nothing else.

Santa Fe brick depots believed to still exist in Kansas, of all types, are located at: Abilene, Anthony, Arkansas City (1950's box), Atchison (1950's box), Augusta, Baldwin City, Dodge City, Ellinwood, Eureka, Florence, Garden City, Garnett, Chanute, Cherryvale, Great Bend, Halstead, Hutchinson (1950's box), Harper, Kingman, Larned, Lawrence (1950's box), Lyons, Marion, McPherson (half a depot), Mulvane, Newton, Osage City (brick/stucco), Stafford, Sterling, Strong City, Syracuse (freight depot), Wadsworth, and Winfield (freight depot head house).

Good shots, Sir Lance.

Sadly, Florence has no money. The town is dying a slow death. The ladies that run the Harvey House Museum have been trying to breathe life back into the town. But they are fighting an uphill battle, and there is no funding for the depot. I have feared its demise for the last 20 years.

Fred in Wichita

The Santa Fe depot at Lawrence is one of those 1950s vintage "steel and glass" structures. Similar structures were at Galesburg Ill. (now gone), Hutchinson, Kansas, and I believe Trinidad and La Junta Colo.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WichitaJct Wrote:
>
> > Other brick
> > Santa Fe depots in Kansas: Kinsley, Stafford,
> > Garden City, Syracuse, Winfield, Burrton?
>
> Kinsley was demolished in 1999. Burrton was a
> Frisco-design frame depot located at the diamond,
> and has been gone for several decades:
>
> http://thelibrary.org/lochist/frisco/allaboard/Opt
> imized/1995_fa_v10_3_18.pdf
>
> (The small brick AVI depot at Burrton still stood
> at last report, however).
>
> Other brick "county seat" depots built in 1907-08
> to the same general plan as Florence exist at
> Rocky Ford and Lamar, CO and Garden City, KS.
> There used to be several more, but they fell to
> the wrecking ball decades ago: Peabody,
> Independence, El Dorado, and Iola, KS. The depot
> at Baldwin City, KS, built in 1906, is similar to
> Florence but smaller and with arched windows.
> Around 1908-09, Santa Fe modified the plan again
> with a rectangular bay window on the front, but
> still a half-hexagonal bay window on the end.
> Surviving examples include Sterling and Larned, KS
> and Las Animas, CO. In 1910 or so, Santa Fe brick
> depot styling changed quite a bit - the floorplan
> became "cruciform" with prominent bay windows on
> both sides, and the hip roof gave way to a pitched
> roof with support brackets, among other detail
> differences. There were sub-variations within that
> style, too, but Mulvane and Stafford fall into
> that general catagory.
>
> Of course, no two depots are exactly alike. While
> it's impossible to save everything, it would be a
> shame at this late date to see a depot like
> Florence get torn down (see also Kiowa, KS and
> Seligman, AZ). Thanks for the photos, Lance -
> we'll have those if nothing else.
>
> Santa Fe brick depots believed to still exist in
> Kansas, of all types, are located at: Abilene,
> Anthony, Arkansas City (1950's box), Atchison
> (1950's box), Augusta, Baldwin City, Dodge City,
> Ellinwood, Eureka, Florence, Garden City, Garnett,
> Chanute, Cherryvale, Great Bend, Halstead,
> Hutchinson (1950's box), Harper, Kingman, Larned,
> Lawrence (1950's box), Lyons, Marion, McPherson
> (half a depot), Mulvane, Newton, Osage City
> (brick/stucco), Stafford, Sterling, Strong City,
> Syracuse (freight depot), Wadsworth, and Winfield
> (freight depot head house).