Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
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Image Number
Photographer
Date
Collection
Publication Information
Geographic Term
Subject Term
Natural disasters--Florida--Florida Keys
Storms--Florida--Florida Keys
Cyclones--Florida--Florida Keys
Hurricanes--Florida--Florida Keys
Labor Day Hurricane, 1935
Hurricane damage
Railroads--Natural disaster effects
Railroad trains
Railroad bridges--Hurricane effects
Railroad tracks
Railroad accidents--Florida--Florida Keys
Physical Description
General Note
Work on the overseas extension began in 1905. It was operational from 1912 until the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Financially unable to rebuild, the Florida East Coast Railway sold the roadbed and remaining bridges to the State of Florida, which built the Overseas Highway to Key West, using much of the remaining railway infrastructure. The extension was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as Overseas Highway and Railway Bridges.
Accompanying note: "On September 2, 1935 Flagler's 'Overseas Railroad' was 'killed' by the worst hurricane ever to hit this hemisphere - barometer 26.35. The last rescue train was trapped on the Matacumbe (Kill Man) Keys. 577 bodies were found; many more were not. Only the 106-ton Schenectady-built 4-8-2 locomotive, 'Old 447,' remained on the tracks. Today the Overseas Highway crosses the viaducts and bridges which survived the great storm. Photos from The Railroad that Died at Sea: The Florida East Coast's Key West Extension, by Pat Parks."
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Chicago Manual of Style
Matlack, Claude Carson, 1878-1944. Two views showing hurricane damage to the Overseas Railway. 1935 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/259273>, accessed 20 June 2026.
MLA
Matlack, Claude Carson, 1878-1944. Two views showing hurricane damage to the Overseas Railway. 1935 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/259273>
AP Style Photo Citation
(State Archives of Florida/Matlack)
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